Second Chance
by Redery
Summary: Luffy fails to protect his nakama from the combined might of the Yonkos and the World Government, but luckily he's been given a second chance to go back and correct his past. Follow Luffy as he relives his adventures, protects his friends and deals with the consequences of changing the future. Warnings: OP Luffy Smart Luffy.
1. Decisions!

Chapter 1 – Decisions

A seven year old Luffy stood by the harbors, clutching a straw hat that covered his wet eyes. He was the only one standing there, the villagers having left once Shanks' ship had been out of sight. Luffy already felt lonely, even though it had been less than an hour since they left. The only thing that comforted him was the hat on his head, a tangible reminder of his first true friends. He had to remind himself that this wouldn't be the last time he would see them, if he meant to fulfill their promise. He wiped away the last of his tears before turning, intending to go to Makino's bar for some food.

Before he could move far however, everything around him went gray and silent. The seagull that was about to fly off was frozen in spot and a leaf was floating in the air motionlessly. The only visible color left, was on Luffy himself.

Luffy looked around startled. "M-Makino? M-mayor? G-g-gramps?"

"Hey. Don't be scared."

He swung around to see a man standing where he had stood just moments ago. The man was wearing an open red vest and blue shorts with a yellow sash tied around them. He had a huge scar in the shape of an X on his chest. What shocked Luffy the most however was that the man was wearing a straw hat. _His_ new straw hat.

"Hey! That hat's mine! Shanks gave it to me! Give it back, you meanie!"

The man chuckled softly but didn't move to return it to him.

"Your hat's still on your head, Luffy."

Reaching up, he realized it was true. "Oh. Sorry about that. Hey wait, how do you know my name, old man?"

"Shishishi! I'm not old, you brat! I'm you."

Little Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "You're weird, old man. How can you be me?"

"I'm you from the future," his counterpart said.

"COOOOOOLLL!" yelled little Luffy, stars shining in his eyes. "That's why you have the hat! But wait if you're from the future, and you still have the hat..."

"Don't worry we kept the promise. Shanks let us keep it at the end. Shishishi!"

"Oh! So, then why are you here old man?"

"Stop calling me old, you brat! I'm only 15 years from the future, not 55!" exclaimed future Luffy. His irritation soon evaporated and he immediately turned serious. "But I'm here because I screwed up. My nakama... I let my nakama die."

"You.. I lost all of my friends?" asked little Luffy on the verge of tears. He hadn't even met them, yet he was already being told he would lose them all?

"Yes.. I wasn't strong enough last time. But that's why I'm here." Future Luffy took off his hat and stared at it, a frown on his usually bright face. "This hat gives its wearer a second chance. Once only, it has the power to let them relive their life from the moment they received it. That's how I'm here now. I wasn't strong enough last time, but this time we can be - if you accept that is."

"Accept? What do you mean?" Asked little Luffy, tears still threatening to fall from his eyes from the thought of being lonely again.

"If you want, I can give you all my strength and memories. That way we can be strong enough to protect our friends."

"B-but what about them? They won't remember? That's not fair."

"No. But we have no other choice if we want to protect them."

"I-I want to protect them! I don't want to lose my friends and be lonely!"

Future Luffy smiled sadly. "Along with my strength you'll also gain my pain, unfortunately. You'll have to keep this scar," he said pointing to the X on his chest.

"T-that's okay," replied little Luffy, still fighting back tears.

Future Luffy walked forward until he was just inches away from his younger self. He smiled softly and reached out to lay his hands on the straw hat that barely fit on the small boy's head. Slowly big Luffy started to fade away.

"Don't let anyone find out about this. It'll bring danger before our friends can handle it. Protect them well this time," he said as he slowly disappeared from sight.

All of a sudden everything regained color and the noises came back. The seagull flew away and the leaf fell down, leaving a boy sobbing and clutching his chest, where a painful scar appeared. But the true pain lay deeper inside. He couldn't fix the pain of the scar, but he intended to fix the other pain.

* * *

><p>AN: That's right, another overpowered Luffy from the future fic. Not very original, but I couldn't find any that were actually completed (at least to the timeskip phase anyway), so I decided I'll make my own. This is going to seem unoriginal for the first few chapters, but keep reading and i promise you it won't be like the rest.<p>

Be warned Luffy will probably be OOC, since he's going to be smarter now. He's also going to be very overpowered obviously. Of course his body needs time to adapt and grow to be as powerful, but he has haki and his memories so he'll still be far stronger than his enemies. However, because of the 'merge' his body will become stronger faster than it could normally. So expect one sided beat downs until he's in the Grandline.

I hope you enjoy it and please review. I'd love any constructive criticism to improve my writing. Also reviews motivate me, so you might get chapters faster if you all review ;) (I'll try to post once per week at least).

**Special Thanks to my awesome Beta SerenePhenix! Be sure to thank her guys, because she made this chapter way better than original :p Be sure to check out her stories too!**

This is mainly inspired by Once Again by The Victor.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from One Piece nor do I profit from it. This is solely for entertainment.

Thank you and have a great day!


	2. Meeting Coby!

Chapter 2 - Meeting Coby!

After that fateful day, everything proceeded as Luffy remembered it. A few days later Garp took him away to live with the Dadan family. He had to remind himself to breathe when he saw Ace again, breathing and alive. He was _alive_. This only furthered Luffy's conviction to protect _everyone_ this time around. He pretended to be weak so as not to tip off his brothers. He let them protect him again and simply enjoyed the time they spent together. They still called him a cry baby, though now he usually cried for reasons they couldn't understand. Whenever he was supposed to be crying he would just remind himself of his first time. Horrible nightmares of his friends dying haunted him, making him stick even closer to his brothers, Ace especially, than on the first time. He also trained in secret, so as to get his body up to par with his true strength. His brothers worried over the nightmares since Luffy would wake up screaming, but he told them it was nothing and refused to elaborate.

He barely held himself back, when Sabo's father came to take him away. If it wasn't for the knowledge that everything would work out, he would've killed the noble right then and there. However he couldn't stand back the day Sabo was supposed to die. Sure, he came back years later, but Ace had died never knowing his second brother had survived and Luffy couldn't bear letting him go through that pain again.

On the day Sabo should have disappeared from both their lives; Luffy snuck away and used his haki at the last second to knock everyone out, including his brother, and pulled him to safety with his devil fruit powers. Although the young noble was at first confused about how he ended up back on the island mostly unharmed, Luffy somehow managed to come up with a half-truth, saying that he had fished him out of the water when he had fallen off the boat after the second bullet had been fired. He was just glad his brother was too dazed to notice how he sweat bullets from telling just that one lie. Sabo was later convinced to stay with his brothers since his father probably believed him to be dead. There was no more danger of him being taken from them. Luffy just hoped it wouldn't change the future too much. After all, his father and the revolutionary army could manage without one man.

When Ace and Sabo turned 17, they both set sail. Sabo decided to become Ace's co-captain and navigator after all. They even gave Luffy the opportunity to join them on their journey, but he refused, saying he would leave when it was time. After his brothers left he was lonely again, but he distracted himself by continuously training his body.

Then, finally, came the time for him to leave. He was still heading out in the small boat he had used the first time. However this time, he was wearing the clothes his future self had worn. He now also had money, which he had saved up, following his brothers' example. He carried a small box of important items as well and his pockets were full of meat.

When the Lord of Coast appeared, he used his haki to make sure he hadn't gone rusty over the years. The villagers were certainly surprised when the sea king seemed to flop over and sink back into the water.

* * *

><p>Loud noises woke him up inside the barrel he had used to weather out the whirlpool.<p>

"You know what to do right, Coby?"

"O-of course! I haven't seen anything!"

_'Coby! It's hard to believe you got so strong from this weak little crybaby!'_

"I'll just punch this barrel open and we can drink!"

Smirking, Luffy waited until he sensed the man was right above him before popping out and hitting the burly pirate hard in the chin. He was out cold instantly. "Ahhhhh, what a great nap!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hey your friend shouldn't sleep on the floor or he'll catch a cold," said Luffy ignoring their question and pointing at the unconscious man.

"That's your fault, damn it! Quit screwing with us!" The remaining pirates moved to attack Luffy, but he knocked them out with his haki, still too sleepy to deal with them physically

"W-who are you! W-what was that?!"

"Co- er hey kid! I'm Monkey D Luffy! You got anything to eat around here? I'm starving."

Coby led him to a barrel of apples, the kid's knees shaking uncontrollably. As Luffy happily dug in, Coby told him about his past, causing Luffy to laugh his butt off.

_'Seriously Coby, you became strong faster than even me! I can't wait to see you in a couple of years from now again,' _Luffy thought.

"So why are you sailing, Luffy?"

"I have to fulfill my promise and dream. I am the man who will become the Pirate King!" shouted Luffy causing Coby's jaw to almost fall off.

"P-pirate king?" asked Coby. Luffy nodded. "THE Pirate king?" Luffy nodded again. "That's impossible. Completely impossible. The pirate king has everything in the world! He is the strongest pirate of all!"

"Yup."

"You'll have to go to the Grand Line to find One piece!"

"Yup."

"Impossible, impossible, completely impossible, absolutely impossible, impossi-"

*BONK* Luffy interrupted the agitated jabber with a bonk to the kid's head.

"Ow, why did you hit me?" asked Coby, touching the new bump on his head. Luffy took care not to use too much of his actual strength on him.

"Because you're being annoying." he deadpanned. "It doesn't matter if it's impossible. It's my dream and I'll do it anyway. I know it'll be hard, but I don't mind dying for it. If you have a dream, it's a man's responsibility to fulfill it no matter what!"

Coby was in awe. Never had he heard such words full of determination.

"D-don't mind d-dying for your dream? Could I accomplish my dream too, if I were that determined?

"What's your dream?" Luffy asked.

Coby stood up, now looking determined too.

"Even though we'll be enemies, I want to become a marine! I want to become a man who captures criminals like Alvida! D-do you think I can do it?"

Luffy smiled brightly. "I _know_ you can Coby! Now, let's go beat up a fat pirate!"

Coby paled a bit, but nodded anyway. They walked up the stairs together and onto deck.

"Who are you going to beat up, Coby?" asked a very fat pirate lady. The color was completely drained from Coby's face as pirates surrounded them.

"Hey Coby!" asked Luffy, loud enough so that everyone could hear. "Is this the ugly, fat whale Alvida?"

Jaws dropped and everyone paled as they heard those words.

Coby gasped and grabbed Luffy. "Luffy, quick repeat after me! In all the seas, this woman is..." He suddenly went silent, remembering his earlier resolution. He let go of Luffy and turned around to face Alvida head on.

"She's the ugliest, fattest, smelliest whale in all the seas!" The Alvida pirates' jaws hit the floor. Luffy one the other hand fell on his back laughing.

"Shishishi! You got that right! I still haven't met anyone uglier. Well except Big M- er never mind," said Luffy between fits of laughter.

Alvida was boiling over in rage and lifted her club. "Coooobbbbyyyy!"

Luffy moved at an incredible speed, blocking the club easily. He threw his hand back and punched her in the gut, sending her flying.

_'East Blue is gonna be boring'_ he realized, somewhat bitterly when he thought about the weak foes he would have to face.

The rest of the pirates almost fainted from shock. They couldn't believe a mere kid had beaten their captain so easily.

"Oi, you worms!" Luffy addressed them. "Get Coby a boat. He's gonna become a marine and hunt all of you down!"

The pirates scurried to obey. Coby looked on in bewilderment. "How are you that strong?"

"Because I'm the man that's gonna become the pirate king!" said Luffy grinning.

They got to the boat just in time as a marine vessel opened fire from a distance. As Luffy and Coby jumped in, he spotted Nami. Several memories of his soon to be navigator flashed before his inner mind's eye.

* * *

><p><em>Meeting Nami for the first time. "I'm Nami. Im a thief who only steals from pirates. I only love money and mikans."<em>

_Nami bleeding from her arm and crying, looking like a shell of her usual self. "Luffy.. Help me."_

_Nami smashing his head into the deck after he asked her if they where there yet...for the 126th time. _

_Nami dead, her body burned to a crisp._

* * *

><p>Luffy drove back those haunting thoughts and simply looked at the navigator who was getting away, smiling as he thought of when he'd get to see her next and that he'd protect her and the rest of his crew this time.<p>

_'Just wait a little longer Nami. I'll come get you soon.'_

The little boat they took was able to get away from the marines unnoticed (not that they would be a problem for Luffy, but he preferred to keep a low profile for now).

"Hey Luffy, if you're looking for the One Piece you'll have to go the Grand Line, you know. It's called the Pirates Graveyard!"

"Shishishi, really? Some people call it paradise you know," replied Luffy with a nostalgic smile.

"Pa-paradise!? That's impossible!"

Luffy laughed and ignored his outburst. "Anyway, Coby you can navigate right? Take us to Shell Town. It should be nearby."

"I know where it is, but why do you want to go there?"

"Because that's where my first nakama is! Roronoa Zoro! Also, you can join the marines there."

"Wait, Z-Zoro?! That guy's a pirate hunting demon! No way he'd join you!"

"Shishishi, we'll see about that."

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry I didn't do the childhood much, but since Luffy doesn't want people to know yet, there wasn't much that would've changed. <em><span><strong>The story will start diverging from canon slightly from now on. <strong>_

**Once again, special thanks go to SerenePhenix who showed me just how bad my writing really was xD **

Garp is so scary! To be able to transform two crybabies into the new age marine material is amazing. Feel bad for them though if they had to go through anything Luffy did when he was a kid xD.

Anyway hope you liked the chapter! Even though the fight was lame, but then again Luffy didn't have problems with her in the first place. Like always, please review! Thanks and have a great day!


	3. Pirate Hunter and Pirate Thief!

Chapter 3 – Recruit The Enemies of all Pirates!

The duo was docking their small boat at Shell Town's harbor. Coby was still trying to dissuade Luffy from making Zoro join his crew.

"He will though!" said Luffy, as he went over to a food stall, grabbed a fruit and tossed the vendor a coin. "Now let's go see him!"

"But why do you want to recruit a bad guy?"

"Zoro's not a bad guy!" yelled Luffy outraged, causing the townsfolk to jump up in shock.

"See! If he were a good person like the marines, people wouldn't react that way!"

"Coby," Luffy said, adopting a serious tone. He did not use it very often for when he did, it made people look at him in funnily. "The world isn't all white and black. Sure, most pirates are bad, but there are good ones too. It's the same with marines. Most might be good but there are plenty of corrupt jerks worse than some pirates." He subconsciously touched the scar on his chest.

"That's impossible! The marines are always the good guys! Without them there'd be no peace!" Coby objected, arms flailing around in a wide gesture.

"Oh yeah? Let's ask the villagers. Oi, old man, how's Axe-Hand Morgan doing?" asked Luffy, causing another wave of shock and fear to go through the villagers, with the old man in question quickly running away.

"W-what's that all about?", Coby uttered, at a loss.

"It's like I said. Not all marines are good. Now come on, I need my swordsman and you need to join the marine."

This time Coby didn't protest and followed him, quietly contemplating what Luffy had just said. Once they reached the marine base, Luffy quickly climbed up on the wall and saw Zoro tied to a post in the middle of the yard.

* * *

><p><em>Zoro was looking at him with those fierce eyes and a smirk that would put a wolf to shame. "If you ever get in the way of my ambitions, I'll have you apologize to me at the end of a sword!"<em>

_Zoro, lying in the boat, his treasured sword raised up in defiance. "L-Luffy! I'm sorry for making you worry about me. If I can't become the best swordsmen, you'll be embarrassed, right? From now on... I won't ever lose again! Until I beat that man and become the best, I won't lose! Is that okay, Pirate King?"_

_Zoro saving him from drowning the first time._

_Zoro protecting his nakama while he was busy fighting._

_Zoro being blasted away by Kuma._

_Zoro's body burnt beyond recognition, an island away from his dream._

* * *

><p>As he looked at Zoro, he had to fight back tears, recalling memories from their first time together.<p>

"That green headband! That haramki! That intimidating aura! That's definitely Roronoa Zoro!" screamed Coby as he fell back and down the wall.

"Yup. The greatest swordsman in the world," whispered Luffy.

"Oi, you brats! Get outta here. You're an eyesore," ordered Zoro.

Coby screamed while Luffy only chuckled. Even though he was tied up and starving, Zoro still didn't lose an ounce of his pride or ferocity.

Suddenly a ladder was propped against the wall and a little girl climbed over it, carrying a sack of food to Zoro.

She tried to get him to eat it, but he refused. That kind gesture alone would be enough for her to be declared a criminal.

Sure enough, a blonde haired kid appeared, trailed by a few marines, telling her it was against the law to feed prisoners.

_'Oh! That's... Helpo? No, was it Helbegga? Or Hippo? Ah, who cares, he was annoying,'_ thought Luffy to himself, making a face.

After bragging about his father and smashing the girl's rice balls, he ordered her to be thrown out. A marine chucked her over the wall, but Luffy easily caught her [by extending one arm], never taking his eyes off of Zoro.

After the annoying snot nosed brat left, Luffy jumped down to greet Zoro while Coby escorted the little girl away.

"You're still here, kid? Get lost before that brat calls his father."

Luffy ignored him and smirked. "Hey you're Zoro, right? I'm Monkey D Luffy. I want you to join my pirate crew."

"A pirate crew? Screw that! I'm not gonna become a bad guy," replied Zoro, although he couldn't help but be intrigued by the teenager standing before him. He seemed far older than what he looked.

"You don't really have a choice. You can stay here and be killed soon or I can free you and you can join me," Luffy explained, grinning.

"What are you taking about? I won't be killed here! I just have to stay alive for another 10 days."

"Oh come on. Do you really think that snot nosed brat is gonna keep his promise after you humiliated him? He's planning on killing you in a few days. He never intended to keep his word!"

"That bastard!" growled Zoro.

"And even if they do let you free, what can you do? You want to be the strongest, right? This is the East Blue. You won't be able to accomplish your dream roaming around in the weakest sea. You're just a big fish in a small pond here! Come with me and I'll take you to the top," grinned Luffy, pointing to the sky above.

Zoro remained silent for a while, contemplating what the kid offered. It made sense, but Zoro was not a man who would easily serve another. If ever.

"Who are you again, kid?"

"Monkey D Luffy. The man who will be the Pirate King. But I'll be needing the best swordsman to get there. Anyway, I'll get your swords back and then we can get out of this dump," Luffy answered with a smirk before he ran towards the base.

"Oi, wait! I didn't agree to join you yet!"

Luffy ignored him and stretched his arms to the top of the roof and rocketed himself up, causally landing in front of Axe-hand Morgan and his marines, who were raising a giant statue.

"Yo. Can someone lead me to Hippo's room? I forgot where it was."

The marines let go of the ropes, shocked from seeing anyone jumping this high. The statue smashed into the roof and cracked, leaving the men shouting in fear of their leader's wrath.

"Who the hell are you?!" yelled Morgan.

"I'm Luffy! And you must be an idiot if you're making a statue out of stone. Everyone knows it's not cool unless you make it out of bronze. Here let me help you get started on a new one," said Luffy casually before he swung his leg out destroying the last of the statue. Before anyone could react, Luffy grabbed a random Marine and ran into the building, chased by Morgan's screams about killing him.

"Hey, take me to Hippo's room!"

"W-who's Hippo?"

"The weird haired guy with a girls room."

"Oh, the captain's son! It's this way! Please don't hurt me!"

Once he reached his destination and got the swords he looked out the window to see marines rushing out with guns aimed at Zoro. Coby had apparently shown up too, as he was next to the swordsman, trying to free his bonds. Luffy jumped out and reached the two just in time to block all the bullets, reflecting them back at the now panicking marines.

"What the hell are you!?" asked both Zoro and Coby, jaws dropping in astonishment.

"I'm a rubber man because I ate the Gum Gum fruit," replied Luffy as he pulled on his cheek and walked over to Zoro. "So, you agree right? Join my crew and you can get your swords back or do you prefer such a lame death?"

"Kill both of them! If guns don't work use swords!" roared Morgan, causing the marines to charge forward.

Zoro and Luffy ignored the oncoming marines, instead looking into each other's eyes. Luffy was smirking and holding the swords out while Zoro was scowling. But soon he also started grinning.

"You must be the son of a demon! But you're right. Rather than die here, I'll become a pirate with you."

"Yosh! I told you he'd join, didn't I Coby? Shishishi!" Unlike the first time he quickly untied Zoro and handed him his swords. By now the marines were almost on them, swords ready and raised.

"Hmmm, they're all yours Zoro.", Luffy said in a bored tone.

"What the hell! You're not even gonna fight?", Zoro demanded indignantly.

"I just want to see what my swordsman is capable of," his new captain grinned.

"Tch," groaned Zoro and blocked all the marines with his three swords. "By the way, even though I said I'll join you, there's something you need to know. One day I'm going to be the greatest swordsmen. It doesn't matter if it's as a saint or a demon. Either way my name will be heard worldwide! And if you do anything to get in the way of my dreams, I'll have you apologize to me at the end of a sword!" replied Zoro, fighting off the marines all the while.

"Shishishi, of course! You'll need to be at least that strong to be the Pirate King's nakama! I'd be embarrassed otherwise."

"Heh," grinned Zoro and sent the remaining marines flying back.

"We're no match for Roronoa!"

"We can't kill these two! They're too strong!"

The Marines all whimpered on the ground, afraid of the monster duo until Morgan ordered them to shoot themselves for saying such weak words. They were just about to, until Luffy saved their lives by knocking them out with a weak burst of Haki.

"W-what the heck was that!?" asked Zoro and Moran simultaneously.

"Shishishi, just a little trick I know. Anyway Zoro take down that ugly chin already."_ 'Franky's is way cooler.'_

"Aye aye, captain," responded Zoro as he ran through the marines, knocking out anyone who stood in his way until he reached Morgan. True to his name, Morgan swung his axe-hand at him, trying to detach his head. Zoro easily blocked it and sidestepped him to smash his hilt into Morgan's side, causing the large man to double over.

"Shishishi, see that Marines? Even half-starved, my swordsman can take out your captain."

"Hold your horses Strawhat! If either of you two move a muscle I'll kill this kid!" screamed Hippo, er Helopemo, who had come back to the base and was holding a gun to Coby's head.

Coby's knees were shaking with fear but he stood defiantly. "Luffy-san, Zoro-San, defeat these marines! They're the bad ones just like you said Luffy! Don't worry about me, I'm not afraid of death!"

"Shishishi, hear that Hippo? Coby's way tougher than you!" said Luffy as he advanced on the blonde, his arm stretching back for a punch.

"I said don't mo-" he tried to say, before his face met Luffy's knuckles and he went flying backwards.

Almost at the same time Zoro finished off Morgan with a X slash to his chest, causing him to fall back unconscious. The marines woke up again groaning.

"Nice Zoro!"

"Thanks, Captain," replied Zoro causally. "What should I do with the rest of them?"

"Leave them be. They're probably just happy to have gotten rid of that chin. Isn't that right, Marines?"

The marines roared in joy and threw their caps up in reply.

"Who's your leader now?" asked Luffy.

A dark skinned man with a mustache attached to his beard stood up. "I am Commander Ripper, the next in the chain of command."

"Do you have a line to Marine Ford?" Luffy asked offhandedly.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Ripper was looking at him in mild suspicion.

"I need to talk to my gramps and that's where he probably is."

"I'm sorry, but even if you freed us from Morgan's clutches, I cannot simply allow a pirate to contact the Marines HQ," Ripper frowned.

"It's exactly because I'm a pirate that I'm allowed to contact them. Didn't you know? Pirates can do whatever they want," said Luffy smirking evilly. "Now take me to your Den Den Mushi."

The marines had no choice but to obey, knowing they couldn't defeat Luffy. Zoro followed him into the base, full of curiosity as to what his new captain was planning. The marines quickly set up the line and Luffy took the receiver from them.

"Hello. This is Vice Admiral Momonga of the Marine HQ. Is this captain Morgan?"

"Hey! Captain Morgan is currently... absent. Can you call Vice Admiral Garp? I have confidential information for his ears only."

"He is not at the base currently but I can connect you to his Den Den Mushi. Please wait a few seconds."

"Okay thanks. See ya later."

The line went dead for a few seconds while they were being connected to Garp. The marines around Luffy were all sweating profusely and wondering why a no name pirate would want to talk to Garp the Hero. Zoro and Coby also looked on in curiosity.

"Hello. Who's this?" asked a voice over the crunch of chewed crackers.

"Hey Gramps! It's me, Luffy! How are you doing?"

Every person in the room dropped their jaws with their eyes and tongue flying out.  
>"Ehhhhh!? You're Garp's grandson!?"<p>

"Ehhh? Luffy!? What are you doing calling me? You're at a marine base right? So you finally became a marine!"

"Shishishi, sorry gramps but I became a pirate! I even got a crew member already! Somethings came up and I ended up invading this base. Anyway I have a favor to ask. Where are you?"

"You ungrateful brat! How dare you become a pirate? How many times do I have to beat that idea out of you? Stay right where you are! Luckily I'm in East Blue, so I'm coming over to kick your ass!"

"Oh that's great! Like I said I need a favor," said Luffy ignoring his grandfather's threats. "I have a friend here who wants to become a marine, so I figured I'd give him to you to be my replacement. There's actually two, so you can have one for Ace too! One's a pink haired crybaby named Coby and another is a weird haired jerk named Hippo. They're pretty weak but I have a feeling they'll become big someday. Especially Coby. With your training he'll rise fast! And since you're already near here, you can come pick them up."

"Ehhhhhh!? You want me to go with G-Garp the Hero!? Impossible!" screamed Coby in shock before Luffy knocked him on the head.

"You damn brat! You think I'll listen to you!? Wait there and get ready for the 'Fist of Love'!"

"Sorry gramps, but I gotta go. Don't be too rough on Coby! See ya later. I love you even though you always abuse me!" With that Luffy quickly hung up before Garp could reply. There was another collective "ehhhhh!?" from the marines gathered. Even Zoro still had his mouth open.

"Shishishi! Zoro let's get outta here before Gramps shows up! Take care Coby!" Luffy and Zoro opened the door to leave but stopped when they noticed an orange haired girl carrying a sack over her shoulders and a rolled up paper. She instantly froze when the door was opened and the marines sighted her. Luffy also became stock-still. He didn't remember Nami being here the last time.

"Who are you? A thief!? Get her men!"

Luffy overcame his shock and erupted into a huge grin. "Hang on she's with me! Let her go. "

"Eh? Damn it!" sighed the marines, while Nami looked at Luffy in utter disbelief, surprised that this stranger was standing up for her.

"Come on Zoro let's get some food! You're still starving right?"

As if on cue, Zoro stumbled forward and would've landed on his face if Luffy hadn't caught him.

"Hey come with us, Na- er lady. I'll treat you to some food," said Luffy dragging Zoro out of the door.

Nami took one look back at the disgruntled marines and quickly followed him.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there! Are you a marine?"

"Nope! So you're a thief?"

"I am not! I was just... looking around!"

"Shishishi, sure you were. What's your name?

"I'm Nami! I love money and mikans. I'm also a pirate thief! I only steal from pirates!"

"Oh? Then why were you stealing from the marines? And I'm Monkey D Luffy!"

"I only needed a map! And it wasn't even there. Buggy the pirate stole it already," she said, showing Luffy the paper that had Buggy's Jolly Roger on it.

_'Buggy! I'll have to see him again,'_ thought Luffy while making a face.

"But hey, is that really Zoro? The infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro?"

"Yeah! He's my companion now!"

By then, they'd arrived at the bar in the town and Luffy walked inside towards an empty table, dumped Zoro into a seat and yelled for meat. The little girl was happy to see Zoro again and her mom quickly brought out the food. The trio began to eat. Or rather in Zoro's and Luffy's case, scarfed it down. Even though Zoro hadn't eaten in weeks, Luffy still managed to out eat him. Nami watched him inhale chunks of meat with a mixture of disgust and awe. Eventually Coby showed up too and joined them. Luffy asked Nami some questions in between bites and she told him how she was a navigator and looking for the Grandline map.

Once Zoro had his stomach filled he sat back and watched Luffy continue eating.

"How can a scrawny guy like you eat more than me even though I haven't aten in days?"

"Because the food's good, right Coby?"

"Hehe, sorry I ate a lot too," Coby apologized to the bar owner.

"Don't worry about it, after all, you saved the town from Morgan and my daughter from his son," she replied.

"Eh!? You two were the ones that beat up that base?" asked Nami.

"Yup!" laughed Luffy.

"Wait if you were attacking marines, does that mean you guys are..."

"So captain how many members do we have? You said you were still recruiting right?" interrupted Zoro before Nami could finish.

"Two. Zoro, meet our navigator Nami!"

Both Zoro's and Nami's jaws met the floor. They started speaking simultaneously.

"You only have two members? Are you sure you're a pirate? What about the boat?"

"You guys are pirates!?" asked Nami falling backwards out of her chair.

"You are too. I've decided to recruit you for my crew. And our boat's out there, Zoro." replied Luffy, looking at Nami but pointing out the window.

"What!? That's our boat? That's barely better than a raft!"

"What!? I'm not joining any filthy pirates!"

"We're not like other pirates! And don't worry Zoro, we'll get a proper one soon enough," Luffy answered both of them one at a time, amused at their reactions.

"I hate pirates!" screamed Nami. "All pirates are the same scum!"

"Wait, I thought you said she's one of us?" asked Zoro.

"Yeah, she'll be our navigator!"

"Are you deaf? I said I'm not joining any pirates!" yelled Nami as she stormed out of the bar. Or at least tried to before the door opened revealing some marines. Ripper stepped forward and nervously spoke out.

"I'm sorry but as marines we cannot tolerate pirates in our town. I know we can't defeat you, but it would be a disgrace to all marines if we do nothing. So I must ask you to leave."

Luffy grinned in reply and stuffed one last piece of meat into his mouth. "Come on Zoro, let's go. See ya, Nami! It was nice meeting you." He said grinning evilly as he walked past her.

The marines all looked towards her. "Hang on, I thought you said she's with you?"

Luffy stopped and looked back at Nami. "Hmmm. Did I?" he asked, grinning wider as he saw Nami sweat nervously.

"Hahaha, of course you did boss! You're such a joker! Let's get out of here shall we?" asked Nami as she hurriedly ran after the duo, faking a smile.

"See ya later, Coby! Gramps should be here in a few days to pick you up. Sorry in advance."

"Sorry? For what? I owe you so much Luffy-san!"

"Well.. Let's just say you should work on stamina and speed right away. It'll come in handy when you need to run from the 'Fist of Love'," replied Luffy, winking.

After that the trio headed for the docks.

"I am not joining you!" growled Nami, angry at having been tricked.

"Hey, that's fine. I have a proposition though. How about we team up for a while. We all need to get the the Grandline. Me and Zoro can help protect you while you navigate for us. You know we're strong after having taken down a marine base and you can't take on Buggy alone anyway. If you agree we'll split any earnings we get and if you don't like us, you can leave with all of it. How about it?"

"A-all of it?" questioned Nami, completely taken aback by the offer. Zoro though was unhappy and frowning.

"Yup all of it."

"Oi, captain, you sure? We can't trust her."

"Shishishi it'll be fine Zoro. I trust her."

Nami was even more shocked by the response. She didn't trust them, but for some reason she didn't think he was lying either. _'Either way, they don't look all that smart and I could use some muscle. If they try anything, I can always take everything and get away before they do something,'_ she thought.

"Okay. I'll agree to those terms for now," said Nami as she sideways fived Luffy's hand.

"Yes! Two nakama in one day! I'm on a roll!" screamed Luffy, throwing his arms up in the air. "Let's get going guys, the rest are waiting for us!" _'Looks like I got Nami a bit earlier than expected. I hope that won't end up changing anything.'_

The trio trio sailed off in their two boats (Nami brought hers along), while the marines awkwardly saluted them.

* * *

><p>AN: Like I promised, the chapters will get longer. I also got this done ahead of schedule so you 150 silent readers better post a review :p<p>

**Special thanks again to the wonderful SerenePhenix who fixed up this chapter. **

For those of you who don't watch the anime, Nami was inside Morgan's base looking for a map to Grandline but never came across Luffy. But since Luffy went inside the base this time he ran across her an island earlier. That doesn't mean I'm following the anime for this though, I'll follow which ever one I liked better for that part of the story. Hope that won't be too confusing.


	4. Going to the Circus!

Chapter 4 – Going to the Circus!

"Seriously, I can't believe how you two survived on this sea without even knowing anything about navigation! How can you even call yourself pirates?" asked Nami, who had taken charge of guiding both of their boats after Zoro started rowing off in a random direction for the second time. Nami was sitting in her boat while Luffy and Zoro were laying in theirs. The boats were only a few inches apart though, so that they could easily converse.

"Shishishi! Studying navigation was too boring and Zoro always gets lost. That's why I recruited the _best_ navigator so I don't have to worry about anything."

"Oi! I don't get lost!"

"Really? Then how come you've been roaming around here, hunting down pirates even though you refuse to call yourself a pirate hunter?"

"I just needed money to eat until I could find the way back to my island!"

"See, you're lost. Shishishi!"

"Shut up."

"Idiots," Nami moaned into her hand.

"So captain, you said you're heading for the top huh? Just how strong are you anyway?" asked Zoro, smirking.

"I'm SUUUUPPPER strong!"_ 'Hehe, can't wait to see you again Franky!' _"But you know the guy you're looking for? I'm probably even with him right now. But I'll be as strong as a Yonko or an Admiral soon."

Zoro's eyes widened while Nami started laughing.

"As strong as an Admiral or a Yonko? Yeah right, if you think soon means a hundred years. You do realize that those are people who could change the world with just a word right?" she mocked, not in the least convinced by his unbelievable claim.

"Yup. Especially Old man Whitebeard. Man, I wonder if I can fight him this time around. That guy was a monster."

"Are you an idiot!? Whitebeard is the strongest man in the world! The only one to have rivaled Gold Roger! You can't just fight him!" said Nami, bonking Luffy on the head.

"Of course I can. I'm going to be the pirate king! If I can't do at least that much than how can I be the Pirate King?" Luffy retorted. He looked serious. Well, as serious as a pouting seventeen year could be.

Nami only groaned and rolled her eyes in response. Zoro raised his eyebrow, having picked up on something else.

"You talk as if you've been to the Grandline before, Captain. You sure seem to know a lot about it. Actually you seem to know a lot more about things then you let on. Like how you knew that blonde kid was gonna execute me before he announced it to the town?"

_'Opps. Gotta be more careful around Zoro.' _"Haha, call it intuition. I just figured a guy like that wouldn't keep his promise in the first place. And Shanks told me about the Grandline."

Zoro didn't reply but kept looking at Luffy intensely. It was kind of hard to miss how those dark eyes slightly turned from his face to the sea.

"Shanks? You don't mean Red-Haired Shanks?" asked Nami, eyebrows rising to her hairline.

"Yup! He came to my hometown when I was a kid. He inspired me to set out for my dreams! I got this hat from him. It's a promise between us; I have to return it to him once I surpass him and get a crew that can beat his. It's also my greatest treasure," Luffy confessed, taking his prized possession off his head and looking at it fondly.

"We're gonna go up against Red-Haired? Now that's something to look forward to," said Zoro, smirking.

"You guys are insa- hey hang on. I think there's going to be a storm soon. I can see dark clouds coming and the winds beginning to pick up. We'll sink in this tiny boat if we're caught in it! Zoro row the boats North!"

"What? How am I supposed to row a boat up, you crazy woman?"

"Hey guys I see another boat! Looks like they're flying Buggy's flag," said Luffy.

"We can't worry about that Luffy! We need to get out of the storm's path."

"Oh, and they look like they have a treasure chest full of gold."

"Zoro sail towards their boat!" shouted Nami. "We'll steal their boat and money!"

"I thought you said to row up cause of the storm?"

"I said north, you idiot! But we can't let a chest full of gold sink either. Let's get it and then we can run away."

"You're a real witch," Zoro mumbled, but obeyed and began rowing towards them while Luffy rolled over laughing at his two crewmates.

Once they got nearby Zoro and Luffy easily kicked Buggy's men onto their boat and took the bigger one for themselves. Nami looked a bit surprised, but quickly forgot about it as she started counting the money. That was, until Luffy ripped the sail apart and earned a beating from her. They had to row quickly to get out of the storm's way and watched their own boat sink along with Buggy's men.

"Why did you rip the sails, you idiot?" Nami screeched. Just how stupid could he get!

"Because it had Buggy's mark on it" Luffy said in all seriousness, looking like he had swallowed something bitter.

"So what? We still needed it!"

"It's a disgrace for a pirate to sail under any flag but his own, even if it's a stolen ship!" he proudly declared. Unfortunately the prideful part was lost as he was smashed into the deck by an angry navigator.

"How are we gonna get to the island now, idiot?"

"Zoro can row."

"What? Hell no. You have to row too."

"Eeehh? Fine… buncha meanies," grumbled Luffy to himself as they began rowing

And so the trio arrived at Orange town some time later. They had just docked when they saw a big bird blown out of the sky.

"What was that?" Nami asked, looking like she actually did not want to know. That had been big, so whatever took it down had to big too.

"Probably Buggy's cannon. The idiot thinks he's all that because he has a devil fruit and a bigger than normal cannon."

"A devil fruit?" Zoro asked, looking ready to take action.

"Yeah he's a swordsman's natural enemy so don't fight him Zoro. I'll take him out. But he has two other men: A stupid swordsman and an ugly lion guy. You guys can take them out."

"I'll take the swordsman."

"Wait! I'm a thief. I don't fight! I'll just steal their treasure while you guys hold them off."

"Nah, you both need the training. You're still too weak for the Grandline. Zoro, you take the lion and the swordsman. Nami, you deal with the rest of his men."

Zoro frowned at having been called weak, but nodded his consent.

"I'm not fighting an entire crew!" wailed Nami.

"Okay. If you don't like it, you can leave with all the treasure we found so far as we agreed. Of course that chest is nothing compared to what Buggy has saved up."

"Fine.." grumbled Nami. She hated how he always seemed to know how to convince her.

"Shishishi! Don't worry Nami, I'll make sure you don't get hurt," Luffy promised as he clapped her on the back. "I'm strong enough to protect you but I still need you guys to get stronger too. Once we have more crew members, I might not always be able to be there to protect everyone, so I need you guys strong enough to take care of yourselves until I get there." As Luffy said the last part his eyes darkened and his voice was low, shocking his two nakama. They'd only seen him cheerful so far and didn't even imagine he could sound so sad. It was almost as if he was talking from experience...

After that neither of them complained and they went on in silence through the empty town to the only place with noise. It was a bar being occupied by the Buggy pirates.

"Wait Luffy, we can't just barge in there with that many of them! We'll get surrounded. We need to draw some of them out first," Nami reasoned, afraid of what he might do otherwise.

"Hmm you're right." Luffy took a step forward, took a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs "OI! BIG, FAT, ROUND, UGLY, RED NOSE! COME OUT SO I CAN HONK IT!"

The entire bar fell into a shocked silence while Zoro could barely stand up straight from laughing so hard and Nami looked horrified.

"That's not what I meant, idiot! God, why did I join up with you?" she groaned, causing Luffy to laugh alongside Zoro.

"WHO THE HELL HAS A BIG, FAT, ROUND, UGLY, RED NOSE, YOU BASTARD!? I'LL KILL YOU!" roared Buggy, appearing over the roof top, face contorted in unsuppressed anger. Once he saw the trio, however, he started laughing. "Who are you idiots? Don't you know I'm the infamous Buggy the Clown?"

"I'm Monkey D Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, the future Pirate King. These are my nakama. We're here to challenge your crew for the Grandline map," declared Luffy as he pulled out the tattered sails with Buggy's Jolly Roger on them from his back pockets.

"You flashy bastard! Do you know what it means to destroy my flag? You dare challenge Buggy the Clown with so few members? Men load up the Buggy Cannon and flashily blow these idiots to smithereens!" he ordered, waving at a handful of men behind him.

Soon, the mouth of a huge canon was aimed at the trio from the rooftop.

"Now look what you've done idiot!" yelled Nami with shark teeth as she hit Luffy. Even Zoro looked a bit nervous when he saw the cannon pointing their way. Nami and Zoro quickly ran to find cover but Luffy just stood there laughing.

"Luffy! Get out of the way!" yelled Zoro, but it was too late, as the cannon fired straight at Luffy.

"Gomu Gomu no Balloon!" called Luffy as he inhaled air and caught the cannon ball with his inflated stomach. _'Hmm, can't knock them out just yet,'_ he thought as he launched the cannon straight up into the air so high, it disappeared from sight.

"Ehhh!? You ate a devil fruit too?"

"Yup I'm a rubber man. Your cannon won't work on me. And if you use it again, I'll send it straight back to your fat nose!" he stated, striking an intimidating pose. Unfortunately that pose was once again destroyed as Nami came back and pulled on his cheek, yelling into his face.

"What the hell are you!? If you can do something like that then tell us before we start panicking!"

"Imb sobby Nambi," Luffy said unapologetically. He turned back to Buggy "Send down your crew so mine can beat them up! After that, I'll send your nose flying!"

"You damned Rubberman! Have it your way then! Slice them up, men!"

"Aye, Captain Buggy!" roared the pirates as they jumped down to fight, led by Mohji riding Richi and Cabaji on his unicycle.

"Those two are mine, Captain?" asked Zoro.

"Yup. Have fun. Don't mind if I butt in a bit since you're outnumbered."

"That's fine as long as it's not with the swordsman," replied Zoro, taking out all his swords.

"The rest are yours Nami."

"Uggghh. You have to be kidding me. How do you expect a cute little girl to fight all those guys?"

"Don't worry. Just trust me, I won't let anything happen to you," said Luffy confidently.

"O-ok," replied Nami, attaching her three piece staff.

"Eehhhh!? Captain Buggy! That man is Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!"

"The Pirate Hunter? I thought you were pirates, you lying brat! I should take him out flashily myself to raise my name!" he announced, taking out his many knives.

"We are pirates. And I'm going to have to ask you to not interfere in my crew's training," said Luffy, instantly appearing by Buggy's side and grabbing his arm.

"What!? How'd you get up here so fast?" Buggy asked as he slashed at him with his other arm.

Luffy ducked under it. "Hey Buggy, I have this treasure map I'll lend it to you if you shut up and sit back till the fights are over." He withdrew a gold coin from his pocket and flicked it across the roof top, rolling off to somewhere he couldn't see.

"Whoa, really!? Ok!" yelled Buggy, running after the coin.

_'What an idiot. That's what you get for tricking me back in Impel Down, you jerk!'_

Luffy looked back at the fight and saw Zoro holding off the swordsman as the lion was coming from behind him. Nami was also holding off three men while more came to surround her. Luffy concentrated and let off a burst of controlled Haki, knocking back the lion and men. _'Damn it's hard to make it weak enough to not knock them out. This is good training for control, especially since I haven't used it for a while.'_

* * *

><p>Zoro was surprised the lion stumbled back and nodded his thanks to Luffy and focused on finishing the acrobat. Without any injury this time, he was faring well and had Cabaji on the ropes. He even managed to get him to attack the lion once by dodging both of their attacks.<p>

"Enough! I'm tired," said Zoro after Cabaji tried to get a cheap shot to his groin.

"Hahaha, giving up Roronoa? About time."

"I meant I'm tired of being the opponent of someone with such pitiful skills! Don't call yourself a swordsman when you're just a common circus act," Zoro countered, kicking away his unicycle.

"Tch, let me show you my real skills then!" yelled Cabaji, launching himself at Zoro.

"Oni Giri (Demon Slash)!" In an instant Cabaji was down, bleeding from three different slash wounds.

* * *

><p>Nami's assailants also stumbled and she took the opportunity to knock them out with her staff before going after the others. She struck in every direction, aiming at weak spots to keep them down: A thrust to the gut or groin, a smash to the nose or temple, a swing at their wrists making them drop their weapons.<br>Whenever she was about to be overwhelmed, she felt a... well, she didn't know how to describe exactly what she felt, but it was powerful and scary and comforting at the same time. With Luffy's help she finished most of the weaker members, only leaving a few of the tougher ones.

* * *

><p>Zoro quickly turned to take on the lion. It was powerful but he managed to hold it back by blocking its jaws and claws with his swords.<p>

"Damn cat! Let's see how you deal with a canine. Toro Nagashi (Streaming Wolf Swords)!" shouted Zoro as he dodged the crushing paws and got under the lion's stomach, slicing across it. Another few slashes to the beast's legs and it went down.

"Ah! Richie! How dare you, Roronoa!" cried Mohji as he ran towards Zoro before shutting up when a hilt smashed his face in.

"And what the hell are you supposed to be, freak? A koala?"

"No, Zoro I think he's a possum," Luffy joked, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Well he got the playing dead part right."

At that time Nami beat up the last of the pirates, a man with nails sticking out of his head. "They're all freaks," she grumbled.

"Shishishi! Good work, Nami! Told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Shut up! I'm still gonna beat you for making me fight like that, jerk."

"Shishishi, sorry. Anyway good work guys. Take a break now, I'll deal with the clown."

As if on cue, Buggy returned, having found the gold coin. "Ehhhhh!? What happened to my men? Cabaji, Mohiji! How did you lose to these flashy runts? Dammit Rubberman, you tricked me! I'll kill you!" He launched a hand holding knives at Luffy's head. Luffy just grabbed his head and bent his neck to dodge the attack, letting the hand fly past.

"Hey Booger, why are you so weak compared to Shanks?"

"Ehh!? You know Shanks? I knew that hat looked familiar. No wonder why you piss me off so much! Now, flashily die!" he roared as his hand return flying straight at Luffy's back. He sidestepped it without looking back and as it flew forward, he grabbed the hand and squeezed hard.

"Arg! Let go you bastard! Bara Bara Emergency Escape!" called Buggy as his hand split into smaller pieces and slipped out of Luffy's grasp.

"Why do you want the map, brat? Do you think you can handle the Grandline with just three people? You'll die within a day!"

"Nope I need two more before we go. You know, maybe I should get three. A temporary musician until I find Brook would be good." Luffy quietly mumbled the last part to himself.

"Even five people aren't enough, you idiot! Rather than you dying there, I'll just kill you here! Bara Bara Windmill!" shouted Buggy as he launched a shoe with a blade coming out of the toe at Luffy. Luffy easily jumped over it.

"Nami! His treasure's in that warehouse! Help yourself, I'll get the map."

"Like hell I'm letting you go after my treasure straw hats! Bara Bara Cannon!" He launched his hand at Nami who was running towards the warehouse.

"You're fight is with me! Gomu Gomu Pistol!" shouted Luffy as he knocked the wind out of Buggy and sent him flying backwards. Luffy disappeared for a second before coming besides the flying hand and grabbed it before squeezing it and throwing it back at Buggy.

"Oi, Nami. I'm gonna make him separate himself into parts so tie them up for me," he whispered to her, low enough so that Buggy couldn't hear.

"Dammit Straw Hat! Get out of my way! Bara Bara Twin Cannon!" yelled buggy as he launched both hands at Luffy who again stopped them both with his bare hands. "Separate!" The front half of his palm along with the fingers holding the knives went flying straight at Nami who had gotten the large bag of treasure.

"Crap! I forgot he could do that!" yelled Luffy as he ran towards Buggy's main body, getting ready to kick it.

"Not this time, Straw Hat! Bara Bara Festival!" His body split into several parts that went flying everywhere except the feet which couldn't fly. Luffy promptly stomped on the feet, breaking the toes and thus halting the clown pirate in midair with a scream just in front of Nami.

"Gomu Gomu Net!" Luffy extended his fingers and trapped the flying parts together before throwing them at Nami who tied the body up.

"Curse you Straw Hat! You're beginning to piss me off as much as Shanks! I'll kill you once and for all! Bara Bara Assemble!" shouted Buggy, but only his head, hands, feet, and a sliver of body came to him.

"Looking a bit short Buggy, shishishi! Now, where's the map?"

"I found it Luffy," said Zoro, holding up a rolled up paper.

"Nice! See ya later, Buffoon! Gomu Gomu Pistol!" yelled Luffy as he slammed his fist into Buggy's face and sent him flying into the sky. _'I hope that was the same direction as last time. I might need him later.'_

"Yosh! We have the map and his treasure! Now onto to the next island!"

"Aye aye, Captain," replied Zoro with a grin.

"You guys are alright. I should stick with you if it means getting money this easily," said Nami as she was hugging her share of gold. The boys' share was on a sack next to her.

Suddenly an old man, wearing armor and carrying a rusty spear, jumped out from behind a street corner, seemingly ready to attack.

"Ehhhhh!? What happened here? Where'd the pirates go?" he screamed utterly confused, "Did you kids see the Buggy Pir-"

**KABOOOM!**

The buggy ball Luffy had sent flying up into the sky came crashing down into a nearby house, destroying it and the others near it.

"What was that!?" screamed the Mayor.

"Ah sorry, that was my fault," replied Luffy.

"You? Who are you guys anyway?"

"Were pirates! Shishishi!"

"Idiot! Don't tell him that!"

"Why you... I've had enough pirates in my town! Die!" yelled the mayor as he charged with his spear. Luffy sidestepped him and started running.

"Let's get out of here before the rest of the town shows up! Shishishi!" Luffy grabbed one of the sacks of treasure and started running towards the docks. "No Zoro! This way!"

"Shut up! I know!"

"Damn it you two are such idiots! Why'd you have to tell him we were pirates?"

"Because we are, shishishi!"

The trio ran to the boats, chased by an angry mayor and a small dog. The quickly set sail with Luffy grinning like an idiot and waving good bye.

"Hey Luffy... Where's the second bag of treasure?" growled Nami, getting a very uneasy feeling.

"Oh, I left it for the villagers to fix the town."

"You idiot! That was 5 milion belli! How dare you use my money!"

"Hey, we agreed that we'd split our treasure so I used my half!"

"Yeah, but it was gonna be mine if I left!" yelled Nami as she tried to drown Luffy.

"Don't do that! I can't swim! And besides, I don't think you're gonna leave Nami," declared Luffy, sticking his tongue out while Zoro laughed behind the two. "Now, set sail for Syrup Village!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks again to my amazing Beta SerenePhenix who finished two chapters in one day! <strong>

Hope you guys liked the fight! Obviously Luffy was holding himself back or it would've been over way faster.

Also when Luffy said he was probably just weaker than Mihawk it's because even though he has all his knowledge and skills and haki from before, his body is still 17 years old. When future Luffy merged with younger Luffy, it affected his body, making it grow faster and stronger but he's no where near what he was in the future where he took on the Yonkous and Admirals. I'd says he's as strong physically as he was after the timeskip for now.

Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions last chapter! (although only 12 out of 200 people reviewed, tsk tsk). I think I probably won't do any pairings because that'll slow down the story. But I still might throw in a few bits here and there if I feel like it xD

This time I'd really like feedback on my writing. What do you guys think about the dialogue and descriptions, etc. and what are the things I can improve in? Thanks in advance!

Have a great day!


	5. The Boy who Cried Cat!

Chapter 5 - The Boy who Cried Cat!

The trio was on their way to Syrup Village after having run into an island full of hybrid animals and a dumb bush stuck in a box. They had managed to scrap up a large piece of cloth to use as a sail so they could sit back and relax as the wind carried them.

Currently they were inside the small cabin with Zoro trying to sleep in a corner, Nami going over some maps and Luffy happily munching away at the recently acquired apples. To his disappointment the fruits weren't cool hybrids, but they were still juicy.

"Oi Luffy, what was that thing you did back there with Buggy and his crew? When you made the lion fall back?" Zoro asked, suddenly not so tired anymore.

"Yeah, I felt it too. It was like a wave of power or something," said Nami.

"Tabs baki," mumbled Luffy over a mouth full, spit and pieces of munched fruit escaping his mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full idiot! That's disgusting!" Nami raged, but refrained from hitting him. It would probably lead to a messier outcome.

_'Ahh, I was hoping I could get away with that since Sanji isn't here yet.'_

"I said that's Haki. That one was the Conqueror's Haki. It's basically a manifestation of your willpower, and I can use it to overpower those with weak willpowers. That was a controlled, weak burst though. If I did a real one, those guys would be out for a week. It's useful when you don't wanna fight small fry and some other things," he explained while playing around with the next fruit he was going to devour.

Zoro raised his brows, showing he was impressed. "Haki huh? And there's more than one type?"

"Yeah there are three. I'll tell you guys about them later when we're nearing the Grandline."

"Speaking of which, we need to prepare more. We can't go to the Grandline like this," Nami added.

"Yeah we need some meat. I'm hungry."

"And some sake would be good too."

"I'm not talking about food, idiots! I mean we can't survive in this tiny boat. We need a real ship and more members. We could try to find a ship at Syrup Village since we're already going there. Why do you want to go there anyway Luffy?"

"Because I have a hunch we can get a ship and a crew member there," he replied causing Zoro to raise an eyebrow at him. His eyes were fixed on his new captain again, searching for something in particular.

"Well we're almost there."

"Really? Awesome!" Luffy ran out of the cabin to wait for the island to appear. _'Usopp! Hang on a little more, we're almost there!'_

* * *

><p><em>Usopp standing proud on a cliff. "I'm the great Captain Usopp!"<em>

_Usopp jumping up in joy when he was invited onto the ship. "Yes! I'll be the captain!" "I'm the captain!"_

_Usopp laying in front of Franky's house, beaten, broken and unconscious._

_Usopp fighting him for the sake of a dying friend._

_Usopp standing on the bridge across the water. "Get up and defeat him Luffy! Then we can go back together! We still have one more nakama!"_

_Usopp laying on the bloody ground, a hole in his stomach and is nose broken off, breathing his last. "So this.. is.. how the great.. captain Usopp's.. tale ends. It's been fun... Luffy. Tell Kaya... I'm sorry."_

* * *

><p>He was glad his two current members were still inside. It'd be awkward for them to see the tear rolling down his cheek.<p>

After about an hour, they finally reached land and docked their ship on the beach. The two had noticed Luffy suddenly seemed sadder when they came out of the cabin, but didn't comment on it. As such, they were surprised when Luffy quickly jumped off the boat before it even fully docked. The other two were saying something, but he wasn't even paying attention. A huge grin immediately spread over his face as he located his friend up on a hill, trying to hide behind a tree with his long nose sticking out and giving him away.

"Hey, there's someone over there," said Zoro.

All of a sudden, several warning shots were fired at Luffy's feet, which he easily dodged. All around them, several pirate flags were raised with the skull having an elongated 'O' shaped mouth instead of the traditional grin. It seemed as if the trio was ambushed by hundreds of pirates.

Luffy just laughed when he saw them. "So cooool!"

"This isn't the time to be in awe!" Nami yelled in frustration.

A figure suddenly appeared on one of the cliffs and started to laugh at them. He was trying to look intimidating but the appearance was ruined by his small frail frame and his absurdly long nose.

"I am the leader of the great nation of pirates who have conquered this village, Usopp!" the boy exclaimed. "Everyone praises me and calls me the great Captain Usopp! It's best if you don't try to attack this village or else my eighty-million men will crush you all like bugs!"

Luffy's grin widened as he thought of something. Before his crew, who were staring at Usopp incredulously could say anything, he answered.

"Just 80 million? That's nothing. I have 80 billion bloodthirsty men under my control!"

Usopp completely lost his composure. "What? Are you crazy? It's impossible to have 80 million let alone 80 billion!"

"Oh? So you were lying before?"

"Ah crap! You saw through it!"

The trio could barely hold back their laughter at his shock.

"Damn you!" Usopp yelled as he tried to regain his brave front. "Eighty-million may have been an exaggeration, but I have many strong and powerful comrades!" Six flags started moving, while the rest of them stayed stationary.

"You mean those three?" Nami asked slyly.

"Wahh! We've been seen!" yelled three little kids as they ran away.

"Don't run away!" Usopp screamed angrily.

Nami bent down to check what the ammunition had been from the earlier attack.

"A pirate that uses pachinko. Never heard of that before," she said in good humor. The whole situation was too comical to be taken seriously.

"Shishishi! You're a funny guy!" said Luffy doubling over, unable to contain his joy any longer.

"Don't laugh at me!" yelled Usopp, misinterpreting Luffy's action as he pulled out his slingshot and aimed it at him. "I am a prideful man who everyone calls Usopp the Proud! My skills with a slingshot are better than any pistol!"

Luffy pulled his hat lower and looked down to hide his grin as he replied. "Since you mentioned pistols, bet your life on it. It's not a toy for scaring someone."

Usopp started shaking at the words, barely able to keep his hold on his weapon. At the point, Zoro decided to join in on the fun. With a wicked grin, he used his thumb to draw his white katana out a couple of inches before saying, "This man who stands before you is a real pirate."

To Usopp, their grins only made their words much more terrifying. He dropped his sling shot as his knees gave out. "As I thought, a real pirate's speech is much more intimidating. Incredible!"

The trio all burst into gales of laugher at the sight. "I only repeated someone who I deeply respect. That was Red-Haired Shanks' line."

"What!? You know that famous Shanks?"

"Yeah! Yasopp right? Your father's name?"

Caught off guard by the mention of his father, Usopp tumbled down the cliff. Once he righted himself he immediately asked, "That's right! But how do you know my father's name?"

"Shishishi! Your father is Shanks' top sniper! They were at my village when I was a kid. Your dad always talked about you!" Luffy answered, remembering all the occasions Yasopp would tell him about his kid – in outmost detail.

The smile he got in response could have lit the entire sky.

After some more talking about his father, Usopp immediately led them to the town's bar and ordered food.

"So you're looking for a ship and crew members? Well the only place you can get a ship at would be at the mansion on the hill. The ship belongs to the mansion owner, but she's just a sick girl."

He continued to explain about her situation while Luffy ate meat and Zoro drank up on sake.

"Never mind then, we'll have to go somewhere else for a ship," said Nami sighing.

"No, we'll definitely get a ship here," declared Luffy.

"Earlier you guys said you're looking for crew members right?", Usopp inquired, his eyes roaming over the odd bunch they were.

"No, you can't be the captain, Usopp," Luffy immediately riposted, still munching away happily.

Usopp nearly jumped out of his chair. "Eh? How'd you know I was gonna say that?"

"Shishishi!" was the only answer he got.

Usopp left soon, saying it was time for him to be somewhere. Shortly after, his followers came looking for him. After a few misunderstandings about eating certain long nosed captains and just who did the eating, learning about Usopp's habit of telling lies; they were led to the mansion.

Once at the gate, Luffy quickly vaulted himself over, leaving the others to follow him. Spotting Usopp in a tree, he jumped up to join him.

"Oh so this is your girlfriend, Usopp?" he asked grinning mischievously.

"Wh-what!? She's not my girlfriend!" Usopp protested as Kaya turned bright red.

"Shishishi, sorry miss, I was just joking. I just came here to ask a favor. I need a ship for my pirate crew and I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to sell us one?"

Everyone else showed up by this point including the butler.

"What are you all doing here? You can't just barge into a mansion!" he said coldly.

"Urg the butler," groaned Usopp.

"Listen Klahadore, these people are-" Kaya started nervously before Klahadore interrupted her.

Luffy, still hyped from being with his friend again couldn't resist himself. "Oh! So you're Kuro..." he said, waiting until Kuro's eyes widened in shock before adding "..haladore."

The butler scowled grimly. "It's Klahadore. And you! You're Usopp! I've heard the rumors about you from the villa-"

"Hey Kuro..haladore. Where'd you find that purr-fect suit? It'd suit you if you were a butler," interrupted Luffy, grinning mischievously. This was way too fun.

"Like I said, my name is Klahadore, and I am the butler! Now if you would please stop interrupting me," he said turning his attention back to Usopp. "Aren't you the infamous liar and son of a pirate?" he asked while adjusting his glasses with the back of his palm.

"Hey miss, just wondering, but when did this guy become you're butler?" said Luffy, interrupting again.

"Um, about three years ago. Why?"

"Interesting. There was a pirate that did that thing with the glasses that supposedly died around then," he remarked offhandedly.

Kuro was left completely flabbergasted as he looked at Luffy with suspicion.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Shishishi!"

"I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting," growled Kuro. Everyone was looking between a smiling Luffy and scowling butler, not understanding what the two were talking about.

"If you want to say something, just say it!" Kuro yelled, his temperament getting the better of him for once.

"Me-yow! Kitty's got a temper. No need to raise your fur, I'm just making conversation."

"Please leave along with this child of a filthy pirate," Kuro growled, grinding his teeth as he barely kept himself in control while Luffy kept grinning like an idiot.

"Did you just call my father filthy?" growled Usopp, fist balled and ready to pummel the bespectacled man in the face.

"Since you know his father is a pirate, do you happen to know his name?" asked Luffy.

"Why would I care to learn the name of some lowly sea rat?" Kuro replied icily.

"What!? How dare you call my father that!"

"Klahadore! Apologize at once!" Kaya demanded, scandalized about how unnecessarily cruel Klahadore was being.

"Why should I apologize to this pathetic person? In fact I feel sorry for him. Abandoned by a useless fath-"

"Ahem. Like I was saying, you should know the name of his father before you think about insulting him," Luffy interjected. "After all, Yasopp is the top sniper of a Yonko's crew."

"Ha! You expect me to believe that? As if some lowlife, who abandoned his family and village and left behind a liar of a son could become a pirate of that caliber."

"Shut up!" shouted Usopp as he punched the butler across the face. "I'm proud that my father is a pirate! I'm proud he's a brave warrior of the sea! I won't let you insult him!"

"Like father, like son. A brute, who resorts to violence when angered. You're just after Miss Kaya's money!"

"What did you say!?" yelled Usopp as he moved to punch him again.

"Stop it! Usopp-san, don't hurt him! He's not a bad person! He just worries about me!" screamed Kaya from her window.

"On the contrary, Miss Kaya. This man is just a hypocrite jealous of Usopp's father because he himself didn't have the guts to take on the sea and ran away," replied Luffy, looking straight into Kuro's eyes. Kaya and the rest looked confused, while Kuro was barely managing to keep his anger in check.

"Eh!? What are you saying? This guy's a pirate?" asked Usopp.

"Yeah he was supposed to be dead, but I guess they didn't lie when they said cats have nine lives. Isn't that right Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates?" Luffy's grin only widened as he looked at Kuro's darkening face. _'Damn, shouldn't have already used the cat got his tongue, it would've been perfect now.'_

"Eh!? This guy is that Captain Kuro!?" screamed Nami and Usopp simultaneously. Kaya was now frowning while Zoro just looked on with a growing smile.

"Opps, looks like I let the cat out of the bag. Shishishi!"

"Now I get why you used all those lame cat puns," said Zoro, placing a hand on his swords.

"What nonsense is this!? Me, a pirate? Hah! Didn't you hear me insulting one just now?" screamed Kuro.

"No need to panic. It's not like I'm gonna call the marines or anything. We are pirates too after all."

"I am not a pirate," growled Kuro as he ground his teeth in frustration.

"Please just leave! I know Klahadore angered you, but there is no need to say such things!" yelled Kaya. "There's no way he can be a pirate!"

"Thank you Miss Kaya. Now please get out of here before I remove you myself."

"Yeah right. You need your claws out if you want to even stand for a second in front of me. But we'll leave. Come on guys," said Luffy as he turned to leave, followed by Nami and Zoro. "Oh and one last thing. I have an... invested interest in this island. So don't even think about hurting Usopp or his girlfriend or anyone else on it. They're under the protection of the Straw Hat Pirates. See you later, Kuro of the 100 tails."

And they left the grounds.

"Wait Luffy! Are you serious? If he's a pirate we can't just leave him with Kaya! He could kill her," Usopp screeched as he ran to catch up with the rest who were walking out the door of the mansion.

"Don't worry Usopp. He won't. He's been here for three years. If he just wanted her money or something he would've already killed her. He wants something more so she'll be fine for now."

"How'd you know he was Kuro, Luffy?" asked Nami, very intrigued.

"It was just a guess after seeing him handle his glasses. Kuro was famous for that because he wore claws."

"What are we gonna do though? I'm not just going to leave Kaya with a pirate! Especially not him!" Usopp seethed. He always became agitated when concerning Kaya.

"We just have to find out what he's planning. Then we can stop him."

"You shouldn't have let him known we know he's a pirate in the first place idiot!" scolded Nami.

"I just couldn't help myself. It was so funny watching what he would do! Shishishi!"

At that point they saw a strangely dressed up man walking backwards and wearing heart shaped glasses.

"Ah. Who's this weirdo?"

"Hey I am not a weirdo!" protested the man, whose name was Jango.

"But you look really strange," Nami pointed out.

"Don't be stupid, I am just a hypnotist."

"A hypnotist? Coooool!" yelled Luffy and the kids. "Show us a trick!"

"Don't be stupid. Why should I listen to you? You do not just show your trick to someone you just met," replied Jango much to their disappointment. "Listen, look at this ring. When I say one, two, Jango, you will fall asleep."

"Why didn't he just say that in the first place," Zoro sweat-dropped.

"One! Two! Jaaaangoo!" the hypnotist said, causing Luffy, Usopp, the kids and even himself to fall asleep.

"Why are you sleeping too!?" yelled Zoro. Just how dumb could people get?

"These idiots fell for it too!" said Nami as she roughly kicked Luffy and Usopp awake.

"Ah Nami! Why did you wake me up? I was just about to have this huuuge piece of meat," Luffy drooled.

It took only moments until Jango woke up as well and left the group, heading towards the cliff.

"Zoro, Nami, you two wait here. Me and Usopp are going to follow him."

"What, why?" both asked, taken aback by the order.

"Because I have a bad feeling about him. Come on, Usopp!", the rubber-man decided, grabbing his soon-to-be-again sniper by the arm and dragging him along.

The two left to trail Jango, though they had to follow at a large distance due to him walking backwards. During the walk Luffy tried to comfort Usopp a bit.

"Don't listen to that idiot butler. Your father's one of the greatest pirates I've ever met! And he never misses a shot!" he said in all seriousness, happy to see another smile on his friend's face at those words.

Once they finally reached the cliff they could see Jango talking with Kuro.

"Eh!? What's he doing here?" screeched Usopp in confusion. It was as if he had completely forgotten about the incident in the manor earlier.

Luffy's reaction though was far less dramatic.

"As I thought, that guy is part of his crew."

"Jango, I told you not to attract any attention, yet you slept in the middle of the road?" Captain Kuro quipped, a look of displeasure clearly visible on his face.

"Don't be stupid. I did not attract any attention and I am not stupid either."

His protest fell on deaf ears however.

"This isn't the time for that! We have a problem. Somehow someone knows who I am."

"Eh!? They found out you're captain Kuro? What do we do now?"

"Don't worry, we still follow our original plan to have miss Kaya meet with an unfortunate '_accident'_ so I can inherit her money. However, I need you to eliminate the brat with the straw hat and his crew immediately. Bring your men here right away and follow the original plan. Just inform those useless morons that their main target now is the Straw Hat Pirates and I want them killed first. The longer they stay alive, the more chances of my plan being ruined," he informed as he pushed his glasses back into place, the light reflecting on them in an intimidating manner.

Usopp for his part did not manage to remain as calm as the man, who so dispassionately talked about murdering one of his best friends.

"Eh!? He was planning to kill Kaya this whole time!"

"Shhh!" Said Luffy, shutting Usopp up by clamping one of his hands over his mouth quickly. The two continued to listen as Kuro and Jango discussed the plan some more, including the parts about attacking the village after killing the straw hats and hypnotizing Kaya so that she would write a will for Kuro. Jango said the crew would arrive by nightfall.

"I have to go warn the town!" Usopp panicked once the two schemers had left.

"Wait! You can't do that. You lie to them every day about pirates, right? Why would they suddenly believe you?" Luffy reminded him, wanting to spare Usopp the bruises he had sported last time he had tried.

"I don't have a choice! I have to do something!" Usopp retorted, ready to bolt off but not ready to listen to reason.

"No one's going to listen. It's up to us to stop him and his crew."

"Are you crazy? That's Captain Kuro! No matter how strong you are, we can't stop an entire pirate crew with four people! I'm leaving! I have to get Kaya to a safe place!"

And without further ado Usopp ran off toward the town to try to warn them.

"Wait Usopp!" yelled Luffy, but to no avail. He sighed and went back to his crew who were resting by a fence, curious as to what had happened in the meantime. Luffy explained what happened to them, what was going on and ordered them to get ready for battle at the slope where they docked their boat while he went after Usopp.

He found him after a while, running away from the mansion, his left arm bleeding from a bullet wound.

"You were right. They... they didn't believe me," he muttered in a resigned tone, cradling his injured arm and not looking Luffy in the face.

"So what are you going to do now?" the captain of the straw hats asked with his arms folded behind his head.

"Even though no one believes me, the truth is still the truth. The pirates are going to come. So I will fight them and make it a lie! The villagers will wake up to another peaceful morning! Even though I got shot at for trying to protect them, I love this village and I want to protect everyone!"

"Shishishi! My crew will help you out then! Come on let's go, they're already waiting for us" Luffy announced, promptly going down the road.

"Wait, that's the wrong way! They were talking over there!"

"Yeah but they'll come from the other way. Didn't you see that weirdo walking from that side? That means the boat is over there. They just had the meeting here."

"Oh you're right!"

Once Luffy and Usopp arrived at the place, Luffy had Nami quickly patched up Usopp's arm. Because of that and the fact that the pirates were coming earlier, Usopp didn't have time to prepare traps for them. They sighted the pirate ship coming and they had docked by sun set. The pirates got out, Jango leading the lot as expected. Luffy and his crew were standing side by side at the top of the opening in the cliffs. Once Luffy saw Jango, he stepped forward and folded his arms.

"Black Cat Pirates! I already warned your captain that this place is under my protection. If you value your lives, leave," he yelled so loudly that no one on the beach could not have heard it. It was a wonder the villagers had not noticed anything by now.

"Are you the Straw Hat Pirates?" asked Jango, looking at them from under his hat.

"Yes," Luffy answered, a challenging grin on his face.

"Hahaha! There's only four of you kids! You think you can stop an entire pirate crew? But I'm glad you showed up here. Now we don't have to find you in the village. Go get them guys!"

With a roar the Black Cats charged up the slope. When they were halfway up, Luffy looked back at his friends with a confused expression. "Why aren't you guys doing anything?"

"What? I thought you were going to fight!" yelled Usopp in shock, his knees visibly turning into jelly.

"Of course not. These are just small fry. You guys go get them," he replied and pointed at Nami and Usopp before walking up the slope and sitting down. "Zoro help them out when they need it!"

"I already told you I'm a thief! I'm not supposed to fight!" yelled Nami with shark teeth.

"And I'm just here to support you! I can't fight all of them by myself!" agreed Usopp.

"Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen. This is just training for you guys. I won't let you get hurt. Now they're almost here, you better do something before they overrun you," he assured, not deterred by their protest.

"I don't wanna fight!" Nami objected with heat.

Luffy blinked at her owlishly.

"Okay. By the way, our treasure and boat are still down there. If you don't stop them, they'll get it."

"That's my treasure, damn it!"

With a roar of frustration, Nami and Usopp turned back to the enemy to meet them. Usopp started firing at the closest ones, knocking them back down while Nami prepared her staff and jabbed at the ones that slipped through Usopp's attack. Usopp then remembered he still had some caltrops which he threw to hinder the pirates even more. The two were able to hold for quite a while but there were just too many pirates for them to keep it up.

"Help 'em out Zoro."

Just as Nami was about to be overwhelmed against a pirate with an axe, Zoro appeared with his swords in hand and beat back the pirates.

"This is so boring," Luffy sighed dejectedly, sprawling out on his belly and pouting like a little kid would.

"Then help out!" Usopp yelled outraged as he was rapidly firing at any pirate that got past Nami and Zoro.

"If I did that, they'd all die."

The sniper stared before being painfully reminded by Nami that they were in the middle of a battle.

With Zoro's help the pirates were sent back down the slope, giving Nami and Usopp a chance to rest. They both fell to their knees, breathing heavily.

"I'm going to kill you Luffy," huffed Nami, glaring daggers at said boy.

"Shishishi, good job! You guys just beat up a pirate crew!" praised, patting her on the back in a appeasing manner. The vein on her temple just protruded some more. Usopp on the other hand had no qualms accepting the praise.

"Of course! This is nothing for the mighty Captain Usopp!"

"They were too weak," Zoro complained.

Jango for his part, could not believe what he was seeing.

"You were all defeated by those kids? What the hell are you doing!? Don't you realize Captain Kuro will kill all of us if we can't beat them and carry out the plan!? Look at this ring. When I say one two Jango, you will become stronger and your wounds will heal. You will become much much stronger and you won't feel pain. One! Two! Jango!"

"Being hypnotized to get stronger? That's crazy!" Nami exclaimed.

"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed the pirates as they all got up and raised their weapons once more, as if they had never been injured in the first place. One of them punched the cliff wall, causing pieces of it to fall off.

"What? They looked dead just seconds ago!"

"They can destroy a cliff wall with one punch!"

"Okay, Nami, Usopp fall back for now. Zoro you take them."

"Tch," groaned Zoro as he put on his headband and took out all of his swords.

"Oi! Not even he can take on all these powered up guys!" Usopp tossed in, fearing for the swordman's safety… and his own.

"Shishishi, Zoro will be fine!"

Even with all three swords, Zoro was barely able to hold off the powered up pirates. They being unable feel any pain now was not helping either. The only reason he didn't get surrounded and hit from all sides was thanks to Luffy's haki and Usopp's pachinko, sending the pirates stumbling back. Luffy kept a focused eye on the fight making sure that Zoro never got hit. Even then, the sheer numbers coupled with the hypnotizing was proving to be a bit too much for the pirate hunter.

"Zoro duck!" ordered Luffy as he got up. "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" he yelled as his leg extended like a whip over Zoro and sent the pirates flying back.

"Eeeehhhhh!? What the hell are you?" Usopp screamed in terror, backing away from Luffy.

"Shishishi, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi so I became a rubber man!" Luffy replied before he went back to sitting down.

The pirates started getting up, looking much worse for wear, apprehensive eyes on the pirates blocking the way to the village.

"We still can't beat these guys captain!"

"Tch. Guess we have to use our trump card. Get down here Nyabun Brothers!" shouted Jango.

Two people jumped out from the Black Cat Pirate's ship. One was skinny while the other was fat and both wore gloves with cat claws attached. They acted weak, but Jango ordered them to attack anyway. However, before they could begin their assault, Kuro showed up behind Luffy looking infuriated and carrying a bag.

"C-captain Kuro!?"

"On no! We're all dead!" yelled the pirates while trembling in fear.

Nami and Usopp stumbled back down the slope when they saw him, while Luffy didn't even look over his shoulder.

"It is way past the appointed time and my plan still hasn't been carried out! What the hell are you doing!?" roared Kuro. "Don't tell me the Black Cat Pirates can't even beat a bunch of kids? What are you doing Jango?"

"B-but you didn't tell me how strong the kids were!" protested Jango meekly, sweat coating his forehead. Even after all these years, he remembered just how deadly his captain's fury could be.

Kuro, threw an impatient glare his way.

"The kids are strong? No, I think you're all just too weak. I don't want to hear any excuses. Today has been a bad day. But luckily for you, these three years have cooled my temper," said Kuro as he dropped his bag and withdrew his cat claws. "I'll give you five minutes to finish these brats. If you can't, I will kill everyone with my own hands."

"F-five minutes? We don't wanna die!" screamed the pirates.

"We still have a chance then. In five minutes we have to finish those two kids," said Jango as he stopped wasting time and started to hypnotize the Nyabun Brothers.

"I can't believe this guy's been living with us for three years!" cried Usopp. He had betrayed all of them and worst of all, Kaya, who would have trusted this monster with her life.

At that time Luffy stood up slowly and looked at Kuro. "I'm bored. I don't want to wait five minutes."

"You want to fight me now?" questioned Kuro.

"Haha! You need to sharpen your claws more before you can fight me, kitty. Usopp! Nami! Get up on that cliff. Zoro! Those two idiots are annoying so let me take them. You deal with Kuro," Luffy commanded as he began walking down the slope and the trio moved to carry out their orders.

"Damn! That guy's on the move! There's no way we can beat them in five minutes now!" wailed the pirates. It wasn't being beaten up by those children they were most afraid of though.

"We'll take him down in five seconds!" shouted the Nyabun brothers as they charged at Luffy.

"Gomu Gomu no Twin Pistol!" yelled Luffy as he punched both brothers in the gut simultaneously, sending them flying out into the ocean and out of sight.

"Eeehhhhh!?" screamed all the pirates and Usopp as well. Even Kuro was looking on in shock.

Luffy though, just turned to his swordsman with a determined expression.

"There, now you can fight him Zoro. Be careful though, he's fast."

Before anyone could move however, Kaya showed up along with the three kids who were holding a bat, a shovel, and a frying pan as weapons.

The young landlady's eyes were full of hurt and sadness.

"Klahadore! Stop everything!"

"Kaya? What are you doing here?" Usopp yelled. If she stayed here she might get hurt!

"Isn't that the girl from the mansion? The final goal of our plan?" asked Jango.

"What a surprise, Miss Kaya. What are you doing here?" Kuro asked, fixing his glasses and confirming the hypnotist's guess.

"Before going to sleep I went to find Merry. He told me everything!" she elaborated, tears shining in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh? He's still alive? I thought I finished him," he said with a dark look causing Kaya to start sweating. She sent an apologetic look towards Usopp, still staring at her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Usopp-san. I didn't believe you when you said Klahadore was a pirate.

That was enough to make the sniper snap back out of his shock. "Don't worry about that now! Didn't I tell you to run away? Don't you realize they want to kill you?"

"But you are fighting, aren't you? Even though we treated you badly, you still fight for us! Klahadore if you want my treasure, I'll give it to you if you leave!" Kaya yelled with a determined expression.

Kuro went on to correct her that it wasn't the treasure he wanted but rather a comfortable life.

"Run Kaya! You can't convince him! He's not the butler you once knew!" Usopp screamed, desperate to get her as far away as possible from that imposter.

"Usopp! Nami! Get her and the kids out of here!" Luffy finally ordered.

"Eh? G-got it Luffy. Come on let's go Kaya, Usopp pirates!" said Usopp as he grabbed Kaya's hand and started leading her back through the forest followed by the three kids and Nami.

"Who gave you permission to leave?" Kuro asked as he moved to attack them.

"Shit! Watch out Usopp!" yelled Zoro, trying to get there in time. However he didn't need to worry because Luffy appeared suddenly at Kuro's back and grabbed his wrist just as he was about to slash Usopp. Everyone froze in shock, including the Captain of the Black Cat Pirates.

"Who gave you permission to go after them? I said you're Zoro's opponent," Luffy said in a low voice before he tossed Kuro over his shoulder to Zoro. He shot a glance towards Usopp and Nami who were looking shocked, gaping at him with their jaws on the sand."If you guys wanna watch, go to the cliff side. That idiot can't see what he attacks," he ordered since there was no longer a need for them to leave with Kaya.

"Usopp pirates! You have to protect Kaya! I'm giving you the most important task! Get her out of here!" Usopp instructed as the brats scurried off to obey, dragging Kaya into the shelter of the forest as he and Nami went to the side of the cliff.

"You brat! You moved that fast because you ate a fruit, right?" growled Kuro as he got up.

"No, I haven't even used my fruit yet." Luffy disclosed. "I got that move from the Marines. They call it Suro or something."

"Jango! I'll deal with these two, you deal with the girl. Make sure she writes the will! After that, kill her and the rest," Kuro ordered.

"Rog-" began Jango before suddenly collapsing unconscious.

"Jango! Did you put yourself to sleep again, you idiot!? Imbeciles! I'll kill you all!" roared Kuro, face contorted in absolute wrath.

"No, I put him to sleep," answered Luffy, folding his arms across his chest.

"You! Ever since you showed up, everything's been messed up! Now die!" hollered Kuro as he tried to slash at Luffy. But before his claws could connect, Zoro appeared and blocked them with his sword.

"I believe the Captain said I'm your opponent," he said, grinning wildly.

"Tch I'll kill you first then!" shouted Kuro as he slashed with his other hand which was blocked by Zoro's second sword. The former pirate hunter then tried slashing with his third sword, but Kuro disappeared only to reappear further away.

"He dodged?" He looked around, searching for his opponent, who had all but disappeared.

"I told you he was fast. That's about the only thing he has going for him," Luffy explained. "His speed against your strength. It's good training for you."

"Nuki Ashi (Stealth Foot)!" yelled Kuro before he disappeared again, this time coming up behind Zoro to strike him. Zoro sensed the movements and tried to roll out of the way, but still got scratched by one of the blades along his shoulder.

"Damn! He really is fast! Oni Giri!" said Zoro as he launched his attack, but missed once again. He continued trying to slash at Kuro, but Kuro just used his speed to get to the side or behind to counterattack. Zoro managed to block or dodge most of the strikes due to his superior reflexes, but he still couldn't escape all of them and was now bleeding from several locations.

"Zoro, wait for him to come to you," advised Luffy.

"Tch," Zoro replied, but listened anyway.

The next time Kuro used his stealth move to try and get behind Zoro, he was ready and evaded it by jumping to the side to meet him head on. "Tora Gari (Tiger Hunt)!" He yelled as one of his swords perfectly blocked the claws and sliced across Kuro's chest.

"Arg! I grow tired of this! It's time for you all to die," Kuro screeched as he jumped back and suddenly started swaying.

"Wait Captain Kuro! You can't use that move! You'll kill us too!" his underlings screamed in utter terror.

"Stop calling me that! Are you idiots? That name is meant to die here. For that, I will kill all of you! That was the plan all along!"

"What!? Don't captain!" But it was too late as he finally used his move, disappearing completely. The only one who could see him clearly was Luffy, who was used to fighting opponents much faster, except most of them could control their speed and see where they were going. Kuro was blinded by his speed and struck everywhere around him, causing gashes to appear on the cliff sides and rocks. To everyone but Luffy it looked as if they magically formed on the rocks since they couldn't see Kuro doing it. He got two lucky hits on Zoro and slashed him across his abdomen and back. Zoro sensed his movements, but couldn't react in time.

Kuro then moved down the cliff to attack his wailing subordinates who were trying to run back to their boat. Just as he was about to strike the first one, Luffy appeared in front of him and punched him back.

"Sorry Zoro. I didn't want to interfere, but this guy pisses me off. Don't worry, I didn't punch hard."

_'What? Why'd he defend them?'_ Usopp and Nami wondered, still looking on from the top of the cliff.

"Tch. Why did you protect them, Straw Hat?" asked Kuro, getting back up.

"They're your nakama. Why did you try to attack them?" countered Luffy.

"The kid saved us!" the pirates shouted.

"Shut up or I'll kill you myself. I just don't want this idiot doing it."

"Are you stupid? Nakama? They are my pawns. I can use them or dispose of them as I wish. They only exist to fulfill my command, even if that be death."

Luffy's hat fell over his eyes as a dark aura surrounded him. His hand darkened from an angry outburst of haki before he managed to control it. "As I thought. I really hate scum like you the most," he growled.

Kuro was taken aback by the aura and Luffy's menacing voice.

"Scum? That's what pirates do! What would a kid like you know about it!?" he mocked, not getting he was actually digging his own grave with each word.

"I know that you're a shitty captain. Even Usopp would make a better captain than you," Luffy said without a shred of doubt.

"Eh!? I am?" Usopp was shocked.

That only fueled Kuro's anger.

"Ha! That pathetic kid playing around is better than me?"

"Yes."

"Hahahah! Don't get cocky just cause you can match my speed, kid! Just how is that liar better than me?" roared Kuro, as he once again activated his stealth foot move to come up behind Luffy and attack him. Luffy imbued his hand with haki again before blocking the move with an open palm. Try as he might, Kuro could not manage to make that mere child budge.

Luffy glared at him from under the rim of hat.

"Because he knows what it means to be a real pirate. Even though he's scared, he fights to protect his nakama! Nakama are tools? What kinda bullshit is that!?" Luffy screamed, grabbing Kuro by his collar and shaking him hard. "A bastard like you doesn't deserve to be captain! Where would you be without your nakama? A captain is nothing without his crew! Do you have any idea what it's like to lose nakama after everything they've done for you!?" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

* * *

><p><em>They were gone. Every single one of them. Zoro, Nami, Usopp Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, Jimbei. All gone. Luffy fell to his knees, two bloodied and tattered corpses that were no longer identifiable, except from the coat that was worn by the Fleet Admiral of the Marines on the first, and an ungroomed black beard on the second, in front of him and several more all around him. His rage subsidized only to be replaced by a bottomless abyss of emptiness. He didn't even have any more tears left to shed.<em>

_All his nakama were gone because their captain had failed them._

* * *

><p>Kuro started to flail around in desperation as he looked into the teenagers eyes and felt terror overwhelm him like never before. No matter what how many Marine ships came after him, he'd rather face them than the fire in this boy's eyes. A fire that wasn't quenched by the tears flowing out of his eyes.<p>

Luffy didn't even feel the slashes along his arms as Kuro struggled to free himself, nor did he hear his friends screaming his name in worry as he continued to stare at Kuro with rage.

"You will never know what it's like," he whispered before slamming a fist into the man's gut, sending him flying into the stem and then through the rest of his own ship.

"H-he beat Captain Kuro of the Hundred Plans with a single punch! W-who are you!?",one of the pirates stuttered, all of their eyes on him.

"Monkey D Luffy. Remember it. Now leave," It was all he said as he turned around and slowly walked back up the cliff, leaving the pirates to run away as if they were being chased by demons.

"Sorry Zoro, I wanted you to have him, but he pissed me off," he apologized to the swordsman, who had been standing there watching his captain intensly.

"No worries, Captain," was all he said as he kept staring at him.

"You did it Luffy!" screamed Usopp as he threw up his arms in celebration.

"L-Luffy? Are you crying?" asked Nami who noticed the tears in his eyes.

Luffy quickly wiped them away. "N-no!" protested Luffy quickly. Before Nami could say anymore, he turned away and Zoro sent her a warning glare to drop it.

"Usopp! You should go find your girlfriend and tell her it's over now," Luffy said once he had his emotions in check again.

"She's not my g-girlfriend! But you're right! We have to take you two to her anyway! She's studying to become a doctor so she can take care of your injuries!"

"Yosh! To the mansion everyone!"

The crew caught up with the Usopp Pirates and Kaya in the forest. Kaya led them back to the town after Usopp implored them not to tell any of the villagers in the morning. It was almost midnight by the time Kaya treated Zoro and Luffy's wounds and gave them an extra room to sleep in.

They woke up at noon and found that Usopp had already left to his own place. After lunch, Kaya told them to go to the coast.

There, they found a beautiful caravel ship with a lamb figurehead.

"This is a ship designed by me," began Merry the butler. "It might look a little bit old. It's name is-"

"MERRY!" shouted Luffy in glee before he could help himself. _'MEEEERRRYYY! I missed you!' _thought Luffy as he burst into a wide grin.

"A-ah yes! Well the _Going Merry_. How'd you know that?" asked the butler confused.

"Um...lucky guess?" said Luffy.

"Good guess! In any case it's a caravel ship with..." he went on to explain to Nami how the ship worked while Luffy just stared at the figure head with a huge grin.

"Please take the ship as thanks for last night," Kaya said, glad about how happy they seemed about the gift.

Just then they heard a scream, turning around towards the top of the cliff. It was Usopp who came rolling down, being crushed by a huge bag. He was stopped by two feet in his face.

"T-thanks guys," he groaned through the pain.

"You're leaving Usopp-san?" The young woman looked at him a little sadly but a smile still present on her face.

"Yes, I'm finally off to be a brave warrior of the sea. When I'll come back I'll tell you all about my adventures!"

"Okay, I'll look forward to it!" smiled Kaya.

"See you guys later! Hopefully we'll meet on the sea someday!" Usoppwent on, addressing Luffy who was already sitting on his special seat on Merry's figurehead.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Just get on already," said Zoro.

"Eh?" The boy couldn't help but stare.

"We're nakama now, right?" asked Luffy with a grin.

There was a pause before Usopp reciprocated it with as much vigour.

"Y-yes! I'll be the captain!"

"I'm the captain!"

Once everyone had said goodbye and prepared to set off, Luffy suddenly turned back around.

"Kaya! Thanks for the ship! But is it okay if we have to get a second one later?"

"Oi! That's rude! You don't like the ship she gave us?" yelled Usopp.

"No I love it! But... it probably won't last through the first half of the Grand Line, let alone the second. So is it okay if we get a new ship if we need to?"

"That's okay," smiled Kaya.

"Thanks again! We'll take care of her!"

_'I'll make sure you sail with us as far as possible Merry.'_

* * *

><p>AN: Finally finished it! This chapter was hard to write for some reason. Especially the fight scenes. I hope you guys like it anyway :p<p>

About Luffy moving as fast as Kuro without gear second, it's because his body is stronger than it was the first time he was at this point. So he can move faster and punch harder without going into gear second. Of course he'll need that in the Grandline against tougher opponents!

Don't forget to review! Thanks and have a great day!

**Thanks to SerenePhenix for betaing!**


	6. The Floating Restaurant!

Chapter 6 - The Floating Restaurant!

"To a new member and a ship! Kanpai!"

The crew cheered, sitting on deck and banging their cups in celebration.

"We're the Strawhat Pirates, but what about our symbol?" asked Zoro after a while.

"Ah that, wait a second!" said Luffy as he ran into the cabin. Once inside he found the box he had carried with him ever since since leaving Dawn Island, opening it to reveal a few items and a folded up cloth. He took out the cloth and unfolded it. After putting it on, he closed the box and put it back in the cabinet.

He went back out on deck where his friends were waiting for him. Their jaws dropped at the sight before them. Luffy was standing with his arms folded and a huge grin on his face as a captain's coat billowed behind him in the wind. The coat was bright red with a gold hem all around. It had red shoulder guards with gold threads hanging off. The buttons were also golden and the collar was high, reaching up to his grin. It complimented his current clothes and straw hat perfectly.

"W-wow!" Said Nami while Usopp whistled and even Zoro looked impressed. A huge grin split the rubber-boy's face.

"Shishishi! It's so cool, right? Makino from my village made it for me! I was told appearances are important so I was saving it for an important occasion."

"It looks great on you!" complimented Nami while the other two nodded in agreement.

"Shishishi, you haven't seen the best part yet," he declared before turning around.

On the back of the coat was a large Jolly Roger wearing a straw hat.

"This is our symbol!" Luffy announced.

"A-awesome!" shouted Usopp.

"Oh? Not bad," said Zoro, grinning widely.

"It looks great!" Nami cheered.

"Usopp! Paint it on the flags and sails! Form here on out, the Straw Hat Pirates are officially formed!"

Usopp hurried to carry out the orders and soon Merry was complete with two black flags and the Jolly Roger on her sails. However Luffy had Usopp paint some more flags, saying they would need them later. By the time he was done, the sniper lay on the deck exhausted.

While Usopp had been working, Zoro had recalled something strange from their last fight.

"Luffy, how did you block Kuro's claws with you hand. Rubber gets cut, doesn't it?"

"Oh that was Haki too. Armament Haki," Luffy replied as he held up a hand for them to see. "It's similar to the other one but in a physical state. You'll have to learn it before going to the second half of the Grandline."

"Eh? I can learn it?"

"Yeah I'll show you how later," said Luffy as he went back into the cabin to store his coat since it was too hot outside.

When he returned, he spotted a big rock in the middle of an ocean. _'Hmmm. I think there was something important about that rock. I don't remember though,'_ thought Luffy as he scratched his chin.

"Hey, Usopp! Let's shoot down that rock!" Luffy suggested while taking aim and missing horribly.

"Whahaha! You suck! Let me show you how a pro does it!" Usopp boasted as he adjusted the cannon angle and fired, hitting the rock perfectly.

"Nice one Usopp!"

"On the first shot!?" Usopp asked, shocked by his own talent before recovering and striking a pose. "See? I'm the best at shooting! You can call me the great captain Usopp!"

Luffy wasn't paying attention anymore though, as he heard a distant scream coming from the rock. _'Right. Those two idiots. I forgot about them,' _thought Luffy as he face palmed.

"Nami! Sail for that rock! Usopp! Go get some lemons from the storage!"

"What's going on Luffy?" Nami questioned, not having paid attention to the boys' shenanigans.

"I heard a scream. I think we shot someone."

"Oh," she nodded. The next thing took Luffy by surprise, though. "Why do we need lemons then?"

_'Oooops'_

"Um... I want some lemonade?" he fibbed, sweat forming on his brow. Hopefully, it would be associated with the warm weather and not to his famous lying face.

"Idiot. Only you could worry about people dying and your stomach at the same time," sighed Nami as she and the rest of the small crew ran off to follow orders.

They had almost reached the rock when they spotted a boat rowing their way.

"Are you the ones who shot the rock? I'll kill you!" shouted a livid Johnny as he spotted the Going Merry.

"Ah, sorry about that. Want some lemonade?" Luffy asked casually. It did not have the desired effect.

"Are you making fun of us? I've killed many pirates like you! How dare you shoot my friend?" Johnny roared as he jumped up on to the ship waving his sword around.

"Huh? Is that you Johnny?" Zoro asked. Everyone but Luffy stared at him in confusion.

"Zoro-aniki! What are you doing here?" Johnny gaped.

"What happened? Where's Yosaku?" Zoro asked, ignoring the question.

"Aniki, it's terrible! Yosaku fell sick or something and passed out. We were resting at the island and then this ship fired on us!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Luffy replied.

"Ah! I-it wasn't my fault!" yelled Usopp, arms crossed in an x-shape.

After some explaining and discussing, Johnny brought Yosaku up on the ship for the others to see. The poor guy looked pretty bad, with his skin being pale and a bit of blood caked on his lips.

"You're stupid!" Nami who had finished the lemonade by now and come out to join them, barked.

"What? You think my friend's death is stupid?" Johnny screamed in outrage at how rude this girl was being.

"He's not dead, he just has scurvy. Good thing we already made some lemonade," the navigator said, as she poured a glass down the unconcious man's throat.

After drinking some, Yosaku jumped up as if nothing was wrong and started dancing with his friend. The moment was short lived however when after introducing themselves properly, he fainted again. After discussing they needed a chef because nutrition could be a problem on the sea, Johnny suggested heading to the Baratie, a sea restaurant full of fighting chef. He told Zoro the man he was looking for also frequented there which caused Zoro to tense up in anticipation.

"Yosh! It's decided. Nami! Set sail for the Baratie!"

_'Yeeessssss! I can finally eat Sanji's food again,' _Luffy thought already drooling.

* * *

><p>"No! Not again! Stop it Ace! You promised!"<p>

Zoro jumped, alerted by the sudden, loud screaming. It was night time and he was on watch. Nami was sleeping in her cabin while the boys were sleeping in theirs, except Luffy who had fallen asleep on his special seat. And now he was suddenly screaming.

"Don't come near him, Akainu! Get away from him! Ace!"

Zoro quickly jumped off the crow's nest and ran towards his captain. He was lying on Merry's figure head, sweating profusely with his face scrunched up and his hand clawing at that scar.

"ACE!" Zoro flinched at the blood curdling scream.

"Luffy! Oi Luffy, wake up!" yelled Zoro as he shook him awake.

Luffy jolted, his eyes wide open in fright as he looked around, panting heavily not having really awoken yet. Once he saw Zoro, he seemed to relax a little. "Zoro. Did I scream? Sorry, I woke you up," he said with a slow smile.

"No, I was on watch," the swordsman replied.

The two stayed there quietly for a while, Zoro standing behind Luffy, while Luffy sat there looking out at the sea, trying to catch his breath.

"Who's Ace?" Zoro finally asked, though he knew he probably shouldn't.

"Ace is my brother," Luffy answered without looking at him. "We'll meet him soon. He's a pirate too."

Zoro raised an eyebrow in confusion. From the sound of the screams, one would think Ace was dead.

"Luffy. It's not really my place to ask since you're the captain, but you're hiding things from us," Zoro said calmly. Luffy's shoulders tensed. "You know things you shouldn't. Like with Kuro. You're not the kind of person who would read newspapers or keep tabs on others, so the only way you could've known him so well is if you met him, but he didn't recognise you. Even from the start, it felt like you knew everything about me when we just met. And you have these nightmares. It wasn't as bad as this time, but you had it on Buggy's ship too.

Luffy turned around and looked at him guilty before letting out a sigh and shaking his head. "And they said you're a block head," he chuckled to himself. "Yeah I am hiding things," he replied. "But I can't tell you what right now. All I can ask is that you trust me. I'll tell you and everyone else everything once we have a full crew. Until then, please don't tell anyone."

"A full crew?"

"Yeah. I always wanted 10 members."

"That's not a bad number," chuckled Zoro.

"Yeah," Luffy smiled sadly. He jumped off the figure head and started walking towards the crow's nest. "Thanks Zoro. Get some sleep. I'll take watch." There was no way he could go back to sleep after seeing that again.

Zoro stayed still watching as Luffy walked away. When he was about to climb up, he called after him. "Luffy."

"Yeah," asked Luffy, looking over his shoulders.

"If you ever want to talk, let me know," Zoro offered, feeling awkward and scratching his head.

"Shishishi! Thanks Zoro," replied Luffy before turning around and climbing up to the nest as Zoro went off to the cabin.

The barely noticeable opening of the women's cabin closed as Nami tiptoed back to bed.

* * *

><p>"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki! Usopp-aniki! Nami-aniki! We've arrived at the restaurant!"<p>

"COOOOOOOL!" yelled Luffy as he ran to the front of the ship.

"Wow!" shouted Usopp as he jumped down from the crow's nest where he had taken the morning shift for Luffy.

"Huh?" Zoro yawned, leaning against the mast.

"Why are you calling me aniki?" protested Nami from the cabin.

"It's a giant fish!" yelled Luffy.

As they were all marveling at the floating restaurant, a marine ship snuck up on their side.

"I've never seem that flag before," mumbled a pink haired marine with iron screws where his knuckles should be. Stepping forward, he addressed the pirates.

"I am Lieutenant Fullbody the Iron Fist of the marines. Who is your captain?"

"Me! I'm Monkey D Luffy. We just put our flag up two days ago."

"I'm Usopp! I painted it!"

Luffy looked annoyed at Usopp while Fullbody ignored them, clearly taking their childish appearance to mean they were just some idiot wannabes. Instead he turned his attention to Johnny and Yosaku who were muttering and trying to hide themselves in the back.

"Hey you two look familiar. Aren't you the shabby pirate hunters? You've been caught by these guys?" Fullbody jeered.

Annoyed at being called shabby, they charged at the marine, only to be beaten and thrown back onto the ship, letting their collection of wanted posters fly out of their jackets.

"You're lucky I'm on vacation. If I catch you guys while on duty, none of you will survive," said Fullbody before leaving with his date. But not before telling his men to sink the ship.

At the same time, Nami noticed a certain poster and bent down to pick it up, asking Johnny what it was.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched before quickly trying to hide the worn out paper. She looked up to see Luffy smiling down at her.

"Hey! Those marines are pointing their cannons at us!" Usopp shouted.

Without taking his eyes off of Nami's, he let out a burst of Haki, knocking out the marines manning the cannons. "Come on, let's get something to eat," he said grinning.

"O-ok," replied Nami as she quickly stuffed the poster away.

The crew went into Baratie and found an empty table to sit at. Luffy looked up and easily found Sanji through the crowd.

* * *

><p><em>Sanji smiling as if he was a child getting his favorite candy. "Hey, have you ever heard of All Blue?"<em>

_Sanji hunting him down for eating the last of their supplies. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your grubby paws away from the food, you bottomless pit?"_

_Food. Food. Food._

_Sanji diving into the water countless times to save him, and then promptly kicking him across the deck. "Why the hell would you jump in there, shitty rubber brains?"_

_Sanji shooting out of the ship from a nose bleed. "Mellorine!"_

_Meat. Meat. Meat._

_Sanji's calm voice on the den den Mushi. "I need permission to return fire on Big Mom's ship."_

_Sanji's flaming body disappearing into an empty darkness, never to be seen again._

* * *

><p>All though the last memory hurt Luffy, it was very fortunate since it was the only thing that sobered him enough to keep from yelling '<em>SAAAANNJIII! FOOOOD!'<em> as soon as he laid eyes in him.

"Hey, waiter!" Luffy watched as Fullbody called over Sanji, who seemed less than pleased with how he was being addressed.

"I told you I'm not a waiter. But this lady is very beautiful. Would you like a drink with me?"

"What is this bug in my soup?"

"I don't know. I'm not much of an expert on insects," Sanji replied causally, and immediately turned his attentions to the beautiful lady next to Fullbody, causing her to blush while the rest of the restaurant laughed at the marine. The loudest of all was Luffy.

Unable to control his anger from being humiliated, Fullbody got up and smashed the table causing the soup to spill onto the floor.

_'He's in for it now. Shouldn't have wasted food in front of Sanji,'_ thought Luffy as he grinned, looking forward to the beat down Sanji was about to deliver.

"I'm a customer with a lot of money! You're just a waiter! You dare humiliate me!?" Fullbody roared.

"Can you eat money?" asked Sanji.

"Oh no! Someone stop Sanji!" yelled the other chefs.

Within moments Fullbody was nearly unconscious, held up only by Sanji's hand and bleeding from a broken jaw.

"Whoever messes with a chef at sea has committed suicide. Remember that. Food isn't something to be played with," growled Sanji.

Luffy grinned from ear to ear as he leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and his feet on the edges of the table. "And that, guys, is our new chef," he told the others.

"Eh!? You want to recruit that crazy guy! He just beat up a marine lieutenant!" Usopp cried, terrified by the prospect of having such a violent member on the crew. Zoro also was a monster in his own right but as long as he got his naps everything was fine.

"What is this!? A customer! It's you again, Sanji! What did you do to our customer?" screamed a weird looking bald guy with seriously unproportioned arms.

"Oh it's you. Don't ever call my name like that."

Luffy grabbed his stomach as he watched them argue, before deciding he couldn't wait any longer. "SAAAAANNNNJIIII! Give me MEEEEAAAAATT!"

Sanji looked over at him with an expression that clearly asked if he was an idiot. Luffy burst into laughter once again and Sanji looked at the rest of the people at his table. As soon as his eyes landed on Nami, he grew heart eyes and ran over to her on legs that resembled spaghetti, completely ignoring Fullbody as he threw him to the side.

"Oh thank God I've met you today!" he gushed as he kneeled before Nami and presented her a rose which he pulled out from who knows where. "Never have I laid eyes on such heavenly beauty! Go ahead, laugh at me, my love. For such beauty, I wouldn't mind becoming a pirate or demon, so long as you are with me! But alas! Our poor destiny has too many obstacles!" he finished lamely.

"By obstacle do you mean me?" asked a large man with an equally large hat and mustache, as he leaned on his wooded leg.

"Ah, the shitty geezer."

"Why don't you just leave already. No one wants you here," Zeff said before he kicked Fullbody who was still annoyingly complaining. Before Sanji could retort, the doors to the restaurant burst open and a marine ran in crying.

"Lieutenant Fullbody! It's an emergency! Krieg's man has escaped! We couldn't stop him because several marines were passed out by the cannons!"

"How's that possible! He's been starving for days, he shouldn't even be able to move!" yelled Fullbody as the rest of the restaurant started whispering uneasily after hearing Krieg's name.

Suddenly there was a gun shot and the marine soldier fell down. A dark skinned man with bags under his eyes and a jacket with red dragon designs stepped over the marine and casually strolled in. He took a seat at the nearest empty table and shouted for someone to get him food.

The thick armed Patty stepped up. "Welcome to our restaurant sir." It sounded anything but welcoming.

"I won't say it again. Get me some food.", Gin ordered, voice thick with annoyance.

"I'm sorry, but do you have money moron?"

Gin spoke nonchalantly as he pointed the gun to Patty's head. "Do you accept lead?"

CR-CRAAAK!

Patty grasped both hands together and smashed them down on Gin causing the chair under him to break.

"Patty, you broke one of my chairs," complained Zeff.

"If you don't have money then you're not a customer," Patty clarified, earning shouts of approval from his fellow cooks and the rest of the diners.

Luffy and Zeff were the only ones to notice Sanji walk into the kitchen.

"Whoa! Go chef-san!"

"Way to go Patty!" cheered the customers and chefs.

Even when Gin's stomach growled, Patty showed him no mercy and kicked him out, telling the other customers to enjoy their lunch.

"You guys order lunch, I'll be back. No one touch my meat," said Luffy as he went outside to see Gin lying there and quickly climbed up to the second deck to wait for Sanji. He didn't have to wait for long as blond chef came out carrying a delicious smelling plate and convinced Gin to eat it. Luffy grinned as he watched the starved pirate dig in.

"Hey Sanji, did you make my meat?"

Sanji only now noticed Luffy up above. "What are you doing? Get down from there!"

Luffy obliged and jumped down only to sit on the railing next to them.

"Hey I'm, looking for a chef to join my crew and I want you."

"You're a pirate?" asked Sanji.

"Yup! I'm the one who will become the Pirate King!"

Gin almost choked one his food at hearing that. "Don't say that kinda thing with such a straight face! Don't you know what it means to be the Pirate King?" shouted Gin.

"Of course. You just have to find One Piece!"

"The One Piece is in the Grandline! There's no way a kid like you can go there. You said you're still looking for a chef right? That means you don't have a lot of people!"

"Yeah, with him I have 5," Luffy admitted, pointing his thumb at Sanji.

"Don't count me, idiot!"

"You're not a bad kid so let me warn you. Don't ever go there. You're still young, it's pointless to waste your life. We had a fleet of 50 ships and 5000 pirates but we were defeated in a week by a single man! That place is nothing but a pirate's graveyard!"

"That's because you're captain is weak," Luffy replied while picking his nose.

The insult did not sit well with Gin. "My captain is Don Krieg! The strongest man in the world!"

"Are you stupid? The strongest is Whitebeard until I surpass him in a few years. Your captain is a fly compared to the monsters in Grandline."

"Don't insult my captain! He's the greatest man I've ever met!"

"Then you need to get out more often," Luffy retorted as Gin growled. "So Sanji, you're gonna join right?"

"Sorry but I refuse. I have things to do here."

"No. I refuse," Luffy stated calmly.

The cook looked as if someone had slapped him with a rolling pin.

"What?"

"I refuse your refusal. You're joining my crew."

"Listen to what I said! I have my reasons!" Sanji riposted, growing more irritated by the second.

"What are they?"

"I don't have to tell you that!"

"But you told me to listen, shishishi!" Luffy grinned, purposefully annoying Sanji.

Soon Gin left them, trying to warn Luffy once again.

Luffy went back inside where his friends were already eating.

"How'd it go? Did you recruit him?" asked Zoro.

"Not yet. We'll stay here for a couple of days until we can convince him."

"What if he never joins?" whined Usopp.

"He'll join," said Luffy confidently before he began to dig in.

Sanji came over to pamper Nami again and she conned him into giving her free meals while he made the rest pay. For the rest of the day as well as the next one, they sat back and enjoyed the food and fighting chefs.

* * *

><p>"Oi Luffy! Wake up! Luffy!" yelled Usopp as he tried to shake Luffy awake.<p>

"Huh?" asked Luffy as he woke up, rubbing his eyes in confusion and looked around. Johnny and Yosaku were snoring and Usopp was at his side. Zoro was lying in his hammock and Luffy could tell from his breathing that he was wake. No one needed to be on watch because they were still by the restaurant.

"You were shouting in your sleep. Something about me and Nami and choppers."

"Oh. Sorry. It was just a dream. Get some sleep," Luffy said as he got out of his hammock.

"What about you?" He gave his friend a concerned look.

"Just going to get some air."

Luffy left their cabin and leaned on the rail of Going Merry. The night breeze was cool against his sweat soaked shirt. After he cooled down, he decided to get a snack. After all he'd have to deal with Sanji's mouse traps soon. Those were annoying and stung even if you were made of rubber.

On the way to the kitchen, he saw a light coming from under the door to the women's quarters. He decided to head there instead and knocked on the door. There was a long pause before he heard a stiff "come in."

He walked inside and closed the door. Nami was wearing a pink tank top with her blanket covering up to her stomach. She has propped a pillow up in front of her arm to hide the tattoo Luffy already knew was there. She was holding a book, but Luffy could tell that was just a cover up and she hadn't been reading. He could see her eyes were puffy and red after having been hurriedly dried. Nami put up a good act though, smiling brightly when she saw him.

"Luffy? Do you need something?

"Can I sit?"

"Sure," said Nami. He sat down on the edge of the bed and just looked at the wall for a while.

"You're leaving soon," he said finally, making a statement and not question.

"W-what do you mean?" asked Nami, trying to feign innocence.

"You can leave if you want to."

"I-I don't know wha-"

"I won't stop you," said Luffy, surprising her into silence. "If you want to leave, you can. That was our deal. You can take everything and leave."

Nami was looking at him with her jaw dropped, not even knowing what to say.

"But I'd prefer if you trust me and the others. I'll kick his ass," Luffy continued still looking away from her.

"You don't know what you're talking about Luffy," growled Nami, suddenly getting mad.

"I know exactly what I'm talking about Nami," Luffy responded as he yanked away the pillow, revealing her tattoo. Nami gasped and quickly tried to hide it.

"I know about Arlong. And I know I can kick his ass all day."

"It's none of your business!" yelled Nami taking the pillow back to hide the scar again. If not for Luffy, then for herself.

"It is. You're my nakama. And no one hurts my nakama," Luffy declared fiercely, finally looking her in the eye to see newly formed tears.

"No I'm not! I was going to betray you as soon as I could! I was lying the whole time!"

"It's not betrayal. That was our agreement from the beginning. The only way you could betray that was to run off and leave the treasure behind," Luffy chuckled as he wiped away a tear.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! Why did you go along with it when you knew I'd leave from the beginning?"

"Because you're my nakama," he said simply causing more tears to flow out.

"Get out," whispered Nami.

"Na-"

"Get out!" she yelled, hitting him with the pillow before falling on it, crying. "Please just leave," she whimpered.

Luffy hesitated for a moment before putting his hat on her head. "Do what you need to, Nami. Either way, I'm going to kick his ass," he said before walking out. He didn't go back to the cabin but instead climbed to Merry's head and laid there for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The next morning he woke up on the figure head with his hat back on. He saw the crew getting ready to go down to the restaurant for breakfast.<p>

"Where's Nami?" he asked Usopp.

"Oh, she already left."

"Where?" he asked urgently, panic rising up inside him.

"To the restaurant. Where else?" What a strange question to ask.

Luffy let out a sigh before answering, "Oh. I'm hungry. Sanji better have made me some meat by now," he said before running off to the restaurant before he turned back around as if suddenly remembered something. "Usopp! Take the ship around to the other side of the Baratie!" he shouted before leaving again.

He saw Nami sitting at a table with Sanji twirling nearby.

"SAAANNJJIII! Meat!" He yelled as soon as we walked in.

"Shut up! It's still too early," already tired of his constant demands for meet over the last two days. As far as Luffy was concerned, he was just training his future chef to get him used to it before he even joined. Luffy hadn't paid for the food yet since he'd told the chefs he'd pay all in one go before leaving. They told him if he didn't, they'd sink him and his ship.

"It's never too early for meat. Never too late either. You'll learn that soon, shishishi! Morning, Nami. I had the ship moved to the back of the Baratie," Luffy explained as he took a seat across from her.

"Morning Luffy. And ok," she replied with a smile, giving no hints that last night's conversation even happened.

"That's not how you greet a lady idiot. This is how you do it. Good morning, Naaaammii-Chwaaaan! Did you sleep well, my beautiful angel?" asked Sanji, random hearts somehow fluttering around him.

"Oi Luffy, do we really need to recruit an idiot like him?" Zoro asked grumpily, having followed and taken a seat next to Luffy.

"What did you just call me?" growled Sanji, the hearts having suddenly disappeared.

"I said you're an idiot, cook."

"You wanna fight shitty swordsman?"

Luffy started roaring with laughter. "Your first fight! And Sanji hasn't even joined yet!"

"I'm not joining, shit for brains! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Ah, really? That sucks. Cause you know... There's lots of beautiful women out at sea," said Luffy smiling mischievously. "They love pirate chefs. Especially blond ones."

"R-really!?" Sanji yelled.

"Of course. They wait in every single town. And you know, we'll even go to Merman Island. You can go swimming with the mermaids there!"

"M-mermaids! The dream of every man!"

"You mean idiots," Zoro mumbled.

"And guess what else?" continued Luffy as he motioned Sanji to move forward so he could whisper something into his ear.

With a nose bleed Sanji fell to his knees and started crying and banging on the floor. "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go," he muttered over and over, getting creeped out looks from the customers.

Luffy almost fell out of his chair from laughter.

After breakfast, everyone went back to the ship except Luffy, who stayed to bug Sanji.

_'Maybe I should've just smashed this ship again. At least working was less boring then just sitting here,' _thought Luffy.

"That's Don Krieg's Pirate Ship!"

"The skull and hourglasses! That's his symbol!"

While everyone was panicking over Krieg, Luffy took the opportunity to obtain more food with the help of his stretching powers.

Gin came in shortly after, carrying a huge man over his shoulders.

"Get us some food and water, please! Money's not an issue," howled the large man.

The chefs and customers started mocking him because of his hunger and claimed they wouldn't feed him or else he would turn on them. Only Luffy noticed Sanji walk off to the kitchen to fetch food. Krieg even got on his knees to beg, but still they refused him.

"Are you all really that afraid of this idiot? Just give him some food and if he tries anything after that, I'll send him flying," said Luffy as he was picking his teeth with a fish bone.

The chefs started yelling at him and calling him an idiot to think he could take on someone like Krieg. Sanji then appeared and after kicking Patty out of the way, he handed Krieg a large plate of food and a drink. As Krieg started scoffing up the rice, the cooks all reprimanded Sanji.

"Sanji, don't you know who he is? He's the trickiest pirate of East Blue! He used to be a marine but he killed the captain and stole the ship! He flies a marine flag to attack villages or a white flag to get his opponents of guard! He'll do anything as long as he wins! That's how he's become so powerful! He won't leave after eating! That's why it's better to just let him die!"

"You're all idiots. That just means he's weak. If he was strong, he wouldn't have to do all that," Luffy pointed out. "Oh and Sanji, you should duck," he told Sanji who had his back turned to the large man.

Sanji caught on to what he meant and quickly ducked under Krieg's arm and back away. Krieg had restored his strength with the meal and was now standing with a tick mark of his head.

"What did you say, you little brat?"

"I said you're weak because you need to trick people all the time,"

"You want to die, kid?" Krieg asked grimly.

"Hahaha! As if you could kill me. I'd beat your entire crew's ass right now, but then my cook would get mad at me. Sanji go get them food already, so I can kick their asses after they're done eating."

Sanji grinned and started walking back to the kitchen. "Well said, but I'm not your cook."

"I'm sorry, Sanji. It wasn't supposed to be this way," Gin groaned miserably.

"Where are you going Sanji?" demanded the chefs.

"To prepare the food," he replied cooly. Luffy grinned at the good nature of his cook. However the chefs didn't seem to see that as a praiseworthy virtue, as they pointed their guns at him instead.

"Are you his pet? We won't let you do it!"

Sanji opened his arms. "If you want to stop me, then shoot already. When someone is starving, a cook doesn't think about the consequences, they feed them."

Patty, who had gotten back up by now, smashed Sanji on the back of the head.

"Tie this idiot up. Sanji, you always sneaked food to the people I kicked out! I won't say if it was wrong or right before, but this time it's completely wrong! I'll protect this restaurant myself," he yelled at Sanji before going over to a cabinet and pulling out a hand held cannon. "After the meal, why don't you try some dessert?" he asked as he shot Krieg, who went flying out the door. "Opps I broke the door. Owner Zeff will be mad."

"It's fine, you did it to protect the restaurant," said some random chef.

"What are you gonna do with the rest of Krieg's ship?" Sanji pointed out.

"Spread some butter and fry them up."

"Sounds delicious, baldy" said Krieg as he stepped out of the smoking debris. He was wearing heavy armor and was unhurt from the blast. "The dessert tasted horrible. This restaurant sucks."

"It's just armor, get him!" roared the chefs as they charged at him.

"Get down, you idiots," Luffy yelled as he whipped them all to the floor with his leg, just in time to avoid the machine guns that popped out from Krieg's armor. Krieg had his eyes closed so he didn't see what Luffy did as he shouted at them.

"Don't try to go against me, idiots! I'm the strongest man! Remember that! These powerful arms! This iron body! These diamond fists! All my secret weapons! I have more than 50 ships and 5000 men! Whe-"

"Oh shut up, you fatty! You really are an idiot!" Luffy interrupted.

"What?" roared Krieg.

"I said you're an idiot! You don't even know how to wear armor. When you want to wear armor you need to put on the whole suit, not just a chest plate. Don't you even know that much? Where's your 'romance' as a man?"

"You annoying little brat! Die!" Krieg yelled as he whipped his guns forward once again. Before he could shoot, however, Zeff showed up carrying a huge bag of food and threw it at his feet.

"There's your food. Now get out."

"Honor Zeff?" the cooks shouted in surprise. At the name, Krieg's eyes widened in recognition.

"What? You're Zeff?"

"What are you thinking, Honor? Once they regain their strength, they'll take our ship!"

"That depends on their spirits. Isn't that right, fugitives from the Grandline?"

"What? Even the strongest pirate from East Blue is a fugitive in the Grand Line?", someone gasped. It was unbelievable that the strongest pirate in East Blue would be unable to cross those seas.

"So you're still alive, Red Leg Zeff," said Krieg as he went on to explain who Zeff really was and how he had survived the Grandline. He even mocked him, saying he could no longer fight with just one leg. He demanded Zeff's logbook from his adventures but the chef refused, saying it was the pride of his crew. Krieg declared he would take it by force and use the information alongside his strength to get One Piece and become the Pirate King.

"Hold on. I'm the only one who is going to be Pirate King," Luffy countered as he stepped forward.

"What are you saying kid? I'll let you take your words back."

"Why would I take it back when it's the truth, idiot?"

"This isn't a joke," growled Krieg as his face darkened with anger.

"Getting into a fight, Luffy? Need some help?" asked Zoro, who had shown up along with Usopp.

"Nah, I can take this bug in my sleep."

"Haahahaha! That's your crew? A bunch of kids? Hahaha!" cackled Krieg.

"Hey, I have two more," pouted Luffy.

"Why are you counting me again?" Sanji asked, his only visible eye twitching with irritation.

"Stop joking kid! Because I lacked information my fleet was destroyed in seven days!" roared Krieg as the chefs were all shocked and Usopp started panicking. "I'm not joking because I hate that. If anyone doesn't believe me, I'll kill them."

"No, I believe you. I'm just surprised an idiot like you survived even that long," replied Luffy, picking his nose again.

"You little brat! Since I'm feeling so generous today, I'll give you one chance. I'm going to feed my crew and anyone staying here after that will die," said Krieg as he walked away with the food.

The chefs starts arguing amongst themselves until Zeff explained why he gave the pirate food. After that everyone resolved to fight for the ship. Sanji threatened Gin, saying that it was his duty to feed people, but now that they were fed he'd kick their butts. Gin then told them the story of their defeat by a hawk eyed man, causing Zoro to declare he was searching for him and become annoyed when he realized Johnny gave him the wrong information. Sanji called him an idiot for chasing after death, but Zoro countered that since he gave up on life since he resolved to become the best swordsman in the world and that only he had the right to call himself stupid.

The entire time, Luffy was half focused on what Nami would do this time. He really hoped she would stay, but he couldn't blame her if she didn't. He quickly snapped out of it and jumped up as he sensed a powerful aura drawing near. The chefs were all preparing for battle and started going outside just in time to see Krieg's huge ship get cut in half. Everyone except Luffy was left in shock.

"Good thing we took the ship to the other side," said Zoro, as they were all running outside to see what happened. Just then from the other side Johnny and Yosaku came running as well.

_'Guess she left,' _Luffy thought with a sigh as he saw the two running toward them with freaked out faces.

"What the hell's going on?" the two screamed simultaneously.

"Where's Nami?" demanded Luffy, ignoring their question.

"Eh Nami-aniki? She's still on the ship."

"Wait, what?" asked Luffy in shock._ 'She didn't leave?' _He quickly ran to the back of the Baratie to see Merry still docked and Nami running down to where everyone else was. As soon as he saw her, he erupted into a huge grin and tackled her in a hug.

"Luffy! What the hell are you doing?" she asked, taken aback by the sudden invasion of personal space.

"You didn't leave!" exclaimed Luffy, still hugging her.

"Er, I still haven't made my mind up. Now shut up and let go of me!" she yelled as she bonked him over his head.

"Shishishi! Sorry. But I'm glad you didn't go," he smiled.

"Shut up! I said I didn't make up my mind yet!"

"Shishishi ok, let me help you with it then. Watch this battle. I'll show you guys my true power." He went back to the front just in time to see Mihawk emerge from the wreckage. He was calmly sitting in his boat, looking extremely bored. Luffy noticed how Zoro stopped breathing for a second when he saw him. He stared in awe as Mihawk pulled out his sword and deflect bullets shot at him by Krieg's men. Zoro gave a quick look at Luffy, who nodded slightly, before jumping in front of Mihawk.

"I've looked for you for a long time," said Zoro, excitement for the battle that was to come rolling off of him in waves.

"What do you want?" asked Mihawk.

"To beat you!" declared Zoro as he put his bandana on. "You're free, right? Fight me."

"That's Roronoa Zoro of the three swords style!" yelled Krieg's men in shock.

"I feel sorry for you. Even the best swordsmen don't fight me because they can sense the difference in power," Mihawk divulged, but he walked up to him nonetheless. "Your strong will to fight me, does it come from bravery or ignorance?" he asked condescendingly. Luffy wondered if Zoro really couldn't tell the difference or was just too stubborn to acknowledge it.

"From my ambition and a promise to a friend. I didn't think I'd find you so early on."

"That doesn't benefit you," Mihawk pointed out as he took out his small necklace blade.

The gesture made Zoro pause, his eyes growing into angry slits as he glared at his opponent.

"What do you think you're doing with that?"

"I am not one of those fools who hunts a rabbit with a cannon. This is the weakest sea. Unfortunately, I don't have a blade smaller than this on me," he explained, literally looking down at Zoro.

"Tch. Just don't regret it when you die. Oni Giri!"

"You're just a frog in a well that has never experienced the true world," said Mihawk as he instantly saw through the attack and perfectly struck at the only weak point, blocking all three swords with the tip of his small blade.

Zoro's eyes widened in disbelief, as he began to comprehend just how big of a gap there was between him and the strongest swordsman in the world. Nami and Usopp gasped in shock while Johnny and Yosaku couldn't believe that Zoro's move, a move which had never failed before was so easily stopped. Luffy just ground his teeth as he watched on with a scowl and folded arms.

He knew Zoro was going to survive this and emerge from this defeat with a renewed resolution but that did not make holding himself back any easier.

Zoro started attacking wildly with all his strength but all three blades were smoothly blocked, deflected, or dodged. It was becoming clear that Mihawk was just toying with him.

Johnny and Yosaku could not believe what they were seeing.

"Stop joking around, Aniki!"

"Pull yourself together and get serious!"

"Would you two shut up. You think he's not serious?" growled Luffy causing them to back away.

"What untrained skill," complimented Mihawk. "Why do you fight to be the best, you weakling," following it up with an insult as he sent Zoro flying back with a simple swing of his arm.

"You called our Aniki a weakling?"

"We'll teach you a lesson!" yelled Johnny and Yosaku as they raised their swords and tried to charge forward. Luffy grabbed them before they could and smashed them into the deck while grinding his own teeth in frustration. It was bad enough to have to see it once, but now he had to watch all over again. "I told you guys not to interfere!"

"Luffy," whispered Nami and Usopp as they could see how much it took out of him not to interfere himself.

Zoro got back up and attacked using his 'Tora Gari', only to have Mihawk pierce his chest before he could even reach him, making his friends and those watching scream in horror. However instead of retreating from the blow, Zoro stoop there and stared at Mihawk, daring him to finish it. Luffy found himself snarling in anger at being unable to do anything to help his friend.

"Do you want this blade to pierce your heart? Why aren't you stepping back?" asked Mihawk, surprised at the ferocity in Zoro's eyes.

"I don't really know," he rasped. "But if I take a single step back, I'd feel as if I have broken my promise and I won't ever be able to stand before you again."

"Yes. That is called defeat," Mihawk replied bluntly.

"Hahaha," chuckled Zoro, coughing up little blood. "That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means death?"

"Death would be preferable," Zoro answered without hesitation.

Mihawk's eyes widen a fraction as he looked impressed at the young man. Stepping back, he put away his small blade and instead unsheathed the one on his back.

"State your name, kid."

Zoro held up his two swords perpendicular two each other and called out around the third. "Roronoa Zoro."

"I shall remember it," declared Mihawk as he pulled his black sword out. "I haven't come across someone with such a strong willpower in a long time. To honor that, I will use this Black Blade, the strongest in the world, to end your life."

At those words, Luffy's eyes widened as a memory flashed before his eyes.

* * *

><p><em>A giant fist of lava was hurling down towards Usopp. He had tried to stay out of range and use his abilities to support his friends but in the end he was also surrounded. Fending off the marines, he couldn't move out of the way of the lava fist, which came down to deliver justice, regardless of the marines that would die alongside him.<em>

_"UUUSSSOOOOOOPPPPP!" Yelled Luffy as he watched on in horror, turning his back on his own opponent as he ran to help his friend. Before he could run two steps he felt that accursed power pull him back again. His strength was sucked away by the blackness as a rib cracking blow was delivered to his side. However, he didn't even feel it as his eyes refused to move from his friend who was staring up at the mass of molten fury._

_Just before it hit, there was a flash of green as Zoro appeared and barely managed to deflect it away. This left him open though to an attack from behind by Shiliew. The blade penetrated his side, but he quickly jumped out of range again. Using the last of his strength he went into a savage barrage of attacks that ultimately left the opposing swordsman without a head. Before he could recover, he was surrounded by intense heat, as Akainu erupted from the ground and struck him with his full might._

_"ZOOOOOOORRRRRROOOOOO!"_

* * *

><p>"ZOOOOOOOOORRRRRROOOOOO!" cried Luffy as he watched the older man cut across Zoro's chest causing a gush of red to come out of his chest and send his nakama into the sea. All memories of the previous time, all reasoning that Zoro should be alive, all thought left him with that scream. He didn't hear anyone else, not Nami and Usopp's gasps of horror, nor Johnny and Yosaku plunging into the sea, nor Sanji's words of frustration. Steam started coming out of his body as he disappeared from sight only to reappear in front of Mihawk who had swung around with eyes wide open, sensing the immense murderous aura. It was so great, even those with poor senses felt a dreadful chill go along their spine.<p>

"You're the swordsman's friend?" he asked, preparing for the assault.

He quickly brought the flat of his blade in front of his face just in time to block a blackened hand. It refused to relent and pushed him back a few feet. He jumped back as soon as he regained his balance just in time to dodge a sandaled foot that came crashing down and broke the deck even further. Mihawk ground his teeth as swung his blade around, just barely blocking the savage onslaught. A fist managed to slip through his defenses and clip him on the chin, sending him reeling backwards. The fight was so fast-paced, it was a blur to everyone present except Zeff who looked on in astonishment.

"That kid..." he whispered.

"He must've eaten a devil fruit," said Krieg, unable to explain the speed any other way.

"Don't worry, he is still alive!" shouted Mihawk as he wiped the blood from his mouth away.

That calmed down Luffy enough to stop moving and to reappear in front of everyone else, although still in fighter stance with a dangerous glare in his eyes. He had a couple of shallow cuts across his hands and feet and one along his chin, but was otherwise unharmed.

Once the fighters were visible, everyone stared at them in astonishment. The pirates and chefs alike started mumbling about what happened.

"Aniki! Can you hear us?" shouted Johnny and Yosaku as they pulled him up to the deck where Nami and Usopp where standing.

Mihawk stepped forward past Luffy as he sheathed his blade and folded his arms. "I am Dracule Mihawk. It's too soon for you to die. You have to learn more about the world. Discover your true self! You have to become stronger, Roronoa Zoro! Practice both your skill and your heart! No matter how long it will take, I will wait for you at the top. Dare to challenge me again! Surpass my blade and surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!" he shouted.

"I can't believe that Mihawk said something like that to the kid. Then again it's not surprising after seeing his captain," mumbled Zeff.

Luffy walked up to Mihawk who turned around warily to meet him.

"Sorry about that. I, uh, kinda lost it," said Luffy, smiling softly as he scratched the back of his head.

"It was understandable. But what is someone of your prowess doing in East Blue?"

"Forming my crew. I'll be in the Grandline in a week or two. Thanks for leaving Zoro alive."

As if on cue, Zoro raised his sword and called out Luffy's name.

"Lu-Luffy! Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Luffy replied, grinning wildly.

"I'm sorry for making you worry about me. If I can't become the best swordsmen, you'll be embarrassed right? From now on... I won't ever lose again! Until I beat that man and become the best, I won't lose! Is that okay with you, Pirate King?"

"Shishishi! Yup!"

"You make a good team," Mihawk observed, smirking slightly. "So your dream is to be the Pirate King, huh?"

"Yes."

"That'll be even harder than surpassing me."

"Well that shouldn't be too hard than," Luffy replied, raising a fist.

"Hahaha! You cheeky little kid. You used the hat, didn't you?" asked Mihawk, lowering his voice in the last part so only Luffy could hear.

"Ah, you know about that?" Luffy questioned, pulling his straw hat off to look at it.

"I'm one of the few that do. Don't worry your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you. Say hi to Shanks for me when you see him. Tell him I'll see him soon."

"Alright. I hope I'll see you two again," Mihawk said as he turned back to his boat.

At that moment Krieg jumped down. "Hey! Hawkeyes, you're leaving already? Didn't you come for the head of the greatest pirate in East Blue?"

"No thanks, I've had my fun for today," replied Mihawk as he wondered just how thick the man was if he still believed he was the greatest even after witnessing those two fights.

"Why are you being so mean? Even if you have, I haven't had my fun yet," he declared as he fired his hidden machine guns.

"Fool," was all Hawkeye said as he swung his sword, rendering the bullets obsolete and disappeared in a spray of water. When it cleared he was nowhere to be seen.

"Nami! Patch up Zoro!" Luffy ordered as he went back to the Baratie's deck. She hurried to obey and ran off to get the first aid kit.

"Hey kid, where did you learn all that?" Zeff questioned, intrigued by the display of power he had just witnessed.

"Shishishi! That's a secret. But hey, if I get rid of Krieg for you, will you cancel my tab and stock my ship with meat?"

"Heh, you conniving little brat. Do what you want."

"Luffy, what are we gonna do?" Usopp asked. Fighting this armada still was a scary prospect.

"You guys get on the ship and take care of Zoro. Sail a bit off so Merry doesn't get tangled up in the fight. Me and our cook will handle this."

"Oi! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not your shitty cook!"

"You're right... because you're my awesome cook!" replied Luffy, causing Sanji to face palm.

By now the pirates had gotten motivated to attack and were charging. Sanji quickly ordered to get the fins up so the restaurant wouldn't get damaged. Patty and Carne detached the ship's head and rowed it to Krieg trying to fire the cannons, but he easily picked it up and tossed it. Sanji kicked it out of the way. He looked at Luffy who was sitting on the railing of the top floor, looking bored.

"Aren't you going to fight?"

"Nah, I'll just help out here and there and then send Krieg flying. So hurry up and clear out the small fry."

Most of the chefs were beaten back by the pirates until Patty and Carne stopped arguing with Sanji to go help them. They were doing well until a large man wearing huge shields for clothes came out and punched them out. The man was Krieg's third in command, Pearl. Sanji then kicked a pirate who was trying to steal Patty's knife and returned it, stating a knife is a chef's soul. The pirates charged at him, but he single-legedly took them down by spinning around while doing a head stand. He then started fighting Pearl as Luffy watched on.

Pearl bragged about never having bled in a fight which earned him the title of Iron Wall. It took Sanji a while to break his record, but a kick to the face did the trick. After spitting up blood and two broken teeth, Pearl panicked and set himself on fire. He launched flaming pearls, turning half of the fin around him into a blazing inferno and forcing the pirates to dive into the ocean. Sanji however ignored the fire and went in for the attack, saying that someone can't be a chef if they're afraid of a little fire. He got another kick at Pearl's face causing him to panic even further. He launched his flaming pearls at Zeff who causally blew them out with a kick.

At that point Krieg got annoyed and decided to step in to take out Sanji by throwing a huge spiked ball attached to a chain at him.

"Sanji! Pass the ball to Pearl," suggested Luffy. Sanji grinned as he jumped up and kicked the ball down straight on Pearl's head, causing him to pass out.

Luffy then spotted Gin coming up behind Zeff with a shotgun, but he didn't see a reason to interfere so he let it go.

"Sanji, you deal with him."

"Tch. Are you gonna do anything or just sit on your lazy ass?"

"Shishishi! I told you to take out the pawns first. Only then does the king make his move."

Sanji didn't have time to retort as Gin pulled out his balled tonfas. He was evenly matched with Sanji as they both got a few hits on each other. During their fight Pearl got back up, but Luffy sent him tumbling into the water, saying no one was to interfere with the fight.

During the melee Gin asked Sanji why he fought so hard and Sanji told them about his past and the reason he couldn't leave the restaurant. The fight was a close one. They would each take turns at going on the offense and defense. Gins balled tonfas would blast through Sanji's defenses, while Sanji's kicks out maneuvered Gin. At the end both had broken ribs and other injuries, but Sanji just barely came out on top.

Luffy finally stepped down on to the stage. "Nice, San! You take a break, I'll take care of the rest."

Krieg roared in rage at seeing his strongest men get taken down.

"You imbeciles! Can't you even take a ship from a bunch of cooks? You've all pissed me off far too much. Especially you brat! Now all of you will die in a cloud of poison!" he yelled as he took of a shoulder pad and fired a MH5 shell. "All of you idiots are not allowed to wear your masks for such a shameful failure."

The pirates cried out in protest and they all wore them anyway, except Gin who threw his aside.

_'Crap, forgot about that,'_ Luffy realized as he quickly caught it and grabbed two more masks off of the pirates. He tossed one to Sanji and held the other over Gin's face. Once the gas cleared he got off again and sent a death glare at Krieg, still holding onto a struggling second in command.

"Oi, Gin. You really chose the wrong guy to follow. You have a lot of potential, but you're squandering it by following this idiot. He thinks he's powerful because of all the resources he has, but because of them he doesn't realize just how weak he is. Gin, you should either find a new captain or become one yourself if you want your true potential to prosper. You'll only be smothered under this idiot," said Luffy as he finally let go of himcalmly walked toward Krieg.

"Don't disrespect Don Krieg!" protested Gin.

"Gin, watch carefully as I show you just how weak he is," replied Luffy before jumping up and appearing on Krieg's ship.

"Oi fatty, you're really proud of that armor, right? How much do you want to bet I can break it with one punch?"

"Are you crazy, you little br-"

Before he even finished his sentence, Luffy fired a Haki imbued punch into his chest, causing the armor to crack into several small pieces and Krieg to go flying off into the ocean, skipping on the water as if he were a rock.

Everyone, from the cooks to the pirates looked on in disbelief at what they just saw. Gin and Sanji were both sitting there with their jaws hanging in their laps while Zeff started laughing.

Luffy causally swung himself over to the Baratie.

"Sanji! I want meat!"

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry I ended it here. I wanted to finish the entire Baratie arc in one chapter but it was getting too long and I wanted to have this out by tonight. Took me hours to right this arc lol.<p>

I hate when there's an entire restraint full of useless people before a fight. They never shut up. Took me forever just to get to the action scenes I was looking forward to so much and then when I got there, it didn't turn out as well I wanted it Dx hope the flash back with Zoro makes up for that.

Yeah Krieg got destroyed in a single punch... Well it was a Haki imbued punch. I never liked Krieg. He was always so arrogant, but weak. I really like Gin though. Debating on adding him to the crew.

Hope you enjoy it! Please review a lot! If I can get 20 reviews, the story will average 10 per chapter lol. Thanks and have a great day/night. (Virtual cookies to anyone that guesses what Luffy whispered to Sanji xD)

**Thanks to SerenePhenix for an amazing job betaing this chapter!**


	7. The Price to be Paid!

Chapter 7 - The Price to be Paid!

"Sanji! I want meat!"

Sanji's mouth was still hanging open from having seen the 'king' of East Blue being sent flying by a scrawny kid.

"W-what? How is that possible?" asked Gin, who was equally dumbfounded.

Luffy simply cocked his head to the side.

"Why are you so surprised? I told you he was weak."

"B-but.."

All of a sudden, the chefs snapped out of their shock and started cheering and jumping around in a victory dance.

"That kid is amazing! He took down Krieg in one hit!"

"Oi, kid. Where'd you learn Haki?" Zeff asked, looking at Luffy with newfound respect.

"Shishishi! That's a secret."

"Haki?" asked Sanji, his interest piqued.

"Yup. I'll teach you it if you come with me!" Luffy offered with a grin.

"No thanks. I already told you I'm not coming," Sanji sneered as he got up and started walking away. Luffy frowned and opted to focus on the still distraught second in command

"So what now, Gin?"

"I... I don't know," he whispered.

"Take my advice. Don't let your potential go to waste," said Luffy, as he walked away.

Sanji brought out his shopping boat and told Gin to take it along with the rest of the pirates. By then Gin had made up his mind.

"Thanks Sanji. Strawhat! I owe you for opening my eyes. I've decided I'll carry out my own ambition! I'll meet you on the Grandline!" he declared with a vigor that he had been lacking under his former captain's command.

"Shishishi! Alright then."

Luffy waved them good-bye as the pirates set off in their tiny boat.

"So Sanji... about that meat?"

"Alright, just shut up. Where the hell do you even put all that food, you bottomless pit?" Sanji asked as he walked back to the restaurant, grumbling the entire time about skinny fat people.

Seeing that the battle was over, the Going Merry had come back to the restaurant. Luffy went to check on Zoro and saw he was still asleep on a makeshift bed in their galley, but in better shape due to Nami's nursing. Johnny and Yosaku were there too.

"What are we going to do now, Luffy?" inquired Usopp.

"We still need a chef, so let's stay here for a while more. Then after that, we'll deal with other matters," replied Luffy, turning to look at Nami when he said the last part. She didn't meet his eyes and instead walked away to her cabin. Luffy followed after her. Once they were inside, Luffy closed the door and stood there waiting for Nami to talk. She just sat on her bed while looking down and holding her shoulder.

"Luffy... I need help," she said weakly before bursting into tears and scratching at her upper arm furiously. It looked as though she wanted to rip off the skin.

Luffy walked over, grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I know. Everything will be fine. Just leave it to me," he whispered to her and let her cry on his shoulder for a while.

"Th-thank y-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Luffy placed his hat on her head firmly.

"There's no need for that. That's what nakama are for," said Luffy as he smiled at her, causing her to cry harder. Once she had exhausted her tears she broke the hug and wiped her eyes clean.

"Just give me a while to get Sanji and then we'll go," Luffy explained as he turned to leave, but when he reached for the door she called him.

"Luffy. I, um, overheard you and Zoro the other night," she confessed, a cautious look directed at his face.

Luffy froze.

"If.. If you need any help, you should let your n-na-nakama know," she said, hesitating on the new word.

He looked back up and smiled. "Do you trust me, Nami?"

"Huh? Of course. How can I not, when you're doing so much for me for no reason."

"Then trust me when I say it's nothing for you guys to worry about. I just have nightmares sometimes, but I'll let you and everyone know when the time is right."

"O-okay," she replied hesitantly.

Luffy gave her one last smile before leaving and going back to the restaurant where Sanji had prepared his meat.

"Oi, old man, this is free because of the deal right?", he asked, a sly smile on his face but with the eagerness of a child still very much present.

"Yeah yeah, but when the hell are you gonna leave. I'm not feeding you forever or else I'll run out of business."

It was said in all seriousness but the joking edge was not lost to the rubber-captain.

"I'll leave when Sanji agrees to join me."

After the meal Luffy went upstairs to find Sanji smoking in the balcony and joined him.

"What's your dream, Sanji?"

"Huh?" The question caught him off-guard. If anything he had expected another order for meat.

"A guy like you is a dreamer. Wasting away in a restaurant doesn't suit you," Luffy said in all seriousness, dark eyes looking at the cook expectantly.

"Shut up. I'm not going to join you," Sanji retorted, puffing out some smoke.

"What's your dream?" Luffy continued.

Sanji was quiet for a moment before a small smile started forming on his lips. "Have you heard of All Blue?" He went on to describe the mysterious ocean and Luffy listened happily because it was rare to see Sanji so happy about something other than women.

"You can't leave because you owe Zeff you're life, right?" Luffy summed up, after his soon-to-be-again cook had finished.

"Right."

"Do you really think you're repaying him by staying here? It wouldn't affect the restaurant if one or two chefs leave. He didn't save you to waste your life here."

"I told you to shut up! You don't understand anything!" yelled Sanji, enraged. The shitty rubber-brain really was testing his patience with his ignorance.

"Do you know about Red-Haired Shanks?"

Sanji blinked.

"The Yonko? Of course, everyone knows him."

Luffy nodded resolutely.

"Do you know why he only has one arm?"

"No," replied Sanji, frowning.

"When I was little he saved me from a Sea King. It cost him his arm, but he sacrificed it to save a little kid. You know what he told me? That his arm was nothing compared to my life. He did it because I had a dream. Back then it was just a kid's rambling, but because of him it was set in stone. He gave me his hat and I promised him I'd surpass him before I returned it to him."

"What are you saying?" Sanji asked, not liking where he was going.

"I'm saying if you really want to repay the old man, then go and live your life and follow your dream you idiot!" yelled Luffy.

The cook opened his mouth to say something, to make him understand he had no idea of anything. But nothing came to mind so he just growled and walked away. Luffy sighed and went down as well, intending to go back to the Merry.

On the first floor he saw the chefs all preparing to have lunch and telling Sanji they didn't have a seat for him so he took his plate and sat down on the ground. Luffy, feeling hungry once again, joined him.

Without warning the chefs started to complain about the bad tasting soup which Sanji had made. Zeff ordered them to finish it because they couldn't waste food. Yet, after tasting just one spoonful, he smashed the plate to the ground. Sanji lost his temper and grabbed the old man by his collar demanding to know how it differed from his own soup. Zeff simply punched him as an answer, causing Sanji to stomp out in rage and sit down to take a smoke.

Unbeknownst to the chefs, he could still hear them. Luffy knew this and smiled to himself as he asked the cooks what was wrong with the soup (which he had already stuffed himself full with). They told him they were just acting to get him to leave and Zeff asked Luffy to take him. To their great surprise he said he couldn't unless Sanji agreed.

Luffy then got the cooks to pack him meat and other supplies as he left with the bag to go back to the ship.

Sanji was leaning against the door, waiting for him.

"Wait. Please take me with you."

Luffy instantly broke into a huge 'D' shaped grin.

"You want to be the Pirate King right? That means we both have crazy dreams. I'll do what I want from now on. I'll become your chef. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect!" yelled Luffy as he threw his arms and head back.

After arguing one last time with the chefs, Sanji and Luffy went out to the boat where Usopp was waiting for them.

"You got him to come, Luffy?"

"Yeah!" yelled Luffy as he ran up to him and both started dancing wildly.

After a heart-felt good-bye full of kicks and tears, Sanji boarded the ship and the Straw Hats set sail.

* * *

><p>The crew had just finished Sanji's first lunch as their cook. They were all in the kitchen including Zoro, who had managed to get there with Usopp's help.<p>

"Naaaaammii-chawn, was the food to your liking?" Sanji asked as he fluttered around her.

"It was very good, thank you," she replied politely.

"That was delicious! Now that we've had lunch, we need to talk about what we're doing. Can you two please go outside? I need to discuss things with my crew," said Luffy, looking at Johnny and Yosaku. They obeyed and went to wait outside.

"What's up, Luffy?" Usopp questioned, not sure if he was so intent on knowing what was to come.

"Right now, we're going to war. I want you all to be ready," their captain declared, his expression earnest.

"Eh!? War? Against who?"

"Fishmen pirates. Were going after this guy," Luffy said, pulling out Arlong's wanted poster. Usopp started to freak out as Zoro and Sanji looked at it with interest. Nami on the other hand looked away.

"I will take him out. You three will fight his lieutenants."

"What? I can't fight a Fishman!" Usopp screamed, scandalized by this outrageous plan. If those creatures were even remotely like what people made them out to be, he was sure he'd end up as toast.

"Usopp. Believe in yourself. You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for," smiled Luffy.

"Yo-Yosh! Leave it to the great Captain Usopp! I'll take them all out!"

"What about Nami?" Zoro asked. He had a distinct feeling that there was more going than Luffy was letting on.

"She'll sit this one out," said Luffy, looking at her kindly. She nodded her head a bit in gratitude.

"Sounds good, but why are we picking a fight with them?" questioned Sanji through an exhale of smoke. He did not see his new captain as the type to randomly pick fights with others.

Luffy's expression suddenly turned serious. "Because they hurt one of our nakama. And no one is allowed to do that." Zoro and Sanji nodded in agreement while Usopp looked a little confused.

"Now, there's some other things we need to talk about. You guys were wondering what Haki is right?" Luffy asked as he stood up and pushed his chair in. The others nodded is response.

"There are three types of Haki. Everyone is born with at least one type, though the majority of them never even find out about it. It takes a lot of training to master them and even those who know about it don't always succeed in unlocking it. Sanji, attack me," Luffy commanded as he closed his eyes, arms casually folded. Sanji gave a hesitating look as he swung a foot at his head halfheartedly. Luffy easily moved out the way.

"You can do better than that," Luffy commented, causing Sanji to begin kicking faster until he was using all his strength to try and hit Luffy who easily dodged each blow without opening his eyes. Sanji was getting frustrated as the others gaped at the whole display deeply impressed.

"This is Kenbunshoku Haki, or the Color of Observation. It increases your sense of your surroundings and allows you to locate living beings around you. Don't stop Sanji," he said as Sanji slowed down the attacks to listen. "It's sort of like hearing their voice more than seeing them. The most important aspect though, is the ability to predict your opponent's moves. As long as the opponent is thinking about what attack to use, you can 'hear' it before they use it," he explained, finally opening his eyes. Then he held up one hand to intercept Sanji's kick and before it even connected with Luffy's hand, Sanji was sent rolling back into the wall as if pushed back by an invisible wave.

"That is Busoshoku Haki, or Color of Armament. It is a physical manifestation of your willpower and you can think of it as wearing a piece of armor. You can block almost any type of attack if you master it well enough. One of my greatest weaknesses used to be blades, but using this I can block them with my bare hands. But not only can you use it to defend, you can also turn it into a weapon," Luffy went on as he held up a fist and turned it black with Haki. "This is one of the most important skills you will learn. Later on, we will run into logia devil fruit users. Their bodies are intangible and untouchable. If they are touchable, it's usually too dangerous to do so. Busoshoku Haki is the best way to fight them as it stops their ability from fully functioning and lets you attack them safely. Those who master it can out it into weapons like swords or arrows as well," said Luffy, looking at Zoro.

"W-wow," whispered Usopp as the rest continued to look awed.

"The last one is Haoshoku Haki, or Color of the Conquerer. This is the only one that can't be acquired through training. Only a rare few are capable of using it. It allows you to use your willpower to overpower others, knocking them unconscious," Luffy concluded, walking over to the door and opening it. "Hey can you two come back in for a second?" Luffy asked, calling over Johnny and Yosaku. Once they were inside, Luffy used his Haki to knock them unconscious.

"Wha.. Are they ok?" Usopp asked. Poor guys, becoming guinea pigs like that.

"That was kinda... mean," said Sanji while Zoro just grunted and Nami shook her head.

"They'll be fine. Probably wake up in a while since I didn't use a strong blast. This Haki is the most rare and powerful. If mastered, you can wipe out an army as easily as chewing a piece of meat."

"Wow... So you have all three?" Nami asked in awe.

"I _mastered_ all three," smirked Luffy.

"How do you learn them," asked Zoro with a hungry look - like a child, trying to figure out where the Christmas presents were being hidden.

"You'll begin training for them immediately. You'll start with Kenbonshuko Haki because that one is the easiest and fastest to learn. Usopp, I want you to make wooden poles for each of you. You'll pair up and train every day for an hour each. Blindfold your partner and whack them with the pole until they learn to dodge. I'll supervise your progress and add in things as we go."

"Wait didn't you say not everyone can unlock them though? What if we just get hit for no reason and never get it?" Usopp questioned. As great as this Haki sounded, getting bumps and bruises for no reason was not something he was looking forward to.

"Usopp what did I say? Have more confidence in yourselves! This is the crew of the future Pirate King!"

They all grinned at that and Usopp left to go make the poles for their training.

"How long did it take you to learn them?" asked Zoro.

"It took about two years to master them," replied Luffy. "But then again, I had a good teacher."

"Who?" they all pressed on. They could only imagine what kind of person it must have been, if Luffy's current strength was any indication.

"Ah, that's a secret. Sanji! I want a snack!" Luffy yelled before running out to sit on his special seat.

"We just ate!" Sanji bellowed, but prepared him a small snack once Nami asked for one as well.

As they were eating on deck, a large sea cow suddenly appeared. Usopp started panicking as Nami covered her mouth in shock.

"Th-that's Momoo! It's Arlong's pet!"

"What? Did he find out we're coming after him?" Usopp screeched, running around the deck in panic.

"It probably just smelled my food," Sanji reasoned.

"He guys let me show you another use of Conqueror's Haki," Luffy said as he glared at the cow, subduing it without lifting a finger and then ordering Usopp to tie a rope to it. Once that was done, Luffy ordered the cow to take them to Arlong Park.

He suddenly smiled mischievously and called over Usopp. After discussing for a while, both of them walked over to the unconscious bodies of Johnny and Yosaku, evil grins on their faces. Using the newly made poles Usopp had finished and some rope, they hung the two unconscious menover the swimming Momoo and sat back to watch the show.

"Sorry guys, but training is postponed. I need the poles for now."

Seeing what they had done, Sanji roared with laughter as Zoro tried to hold back his. Nami just face palmed, though even she was smirking a bit.

"That's really mean, you guys," she reprimanded, though it lacked any of its usual firmness.

They waited for a few minutes as the two bounty hunters came to. As soon as they saw the giant cow swimming beneath them, they both started screaming and crying in sheer terror, yelling for their anikis. The crew rolled on the ground in laughter before Luffy controlled himself enough to climb onto Merry's head to address them.

"Hey guys! How's the view?" he jested

"Get us down Luffy-aniki!"

"Sorry, no can do. Haven't you ever heard of the carrot and stick thingy? Well you guys are the carrots," he said smiling as if he were discussing the weather.

"It's not funny aniki! Help us! This thing will eat us."

"Most likely, yes. Thank you for your brave sacrifice. I'll.. pfft... I'll never forget ... hehe.. you guys," he managed to make out before he couldn't hold his laughter back anymore and started rolling on Merry's head again. Even Zoro was full out laughing now, though it hurt his wound.

Shortly after they brought the two down, they rolled up into balls and started to mutter things about scary cows and how they'd never eat beef again.

The crew then started to practice as Luffy had told them to. Nami and Usopp partnered up, complaining the entire time, while Zoro and Sanji were put together. By the time they neared Arlong Park, they were all sprouting several bumps, especially the two rivals who hadn't bothered holding back against each other.

"You can stop now, Cow," said Luffy when they were in view of the entrance to Arlong Park.

"How are we gonna get in there? There's only one opening and the gate's blocking it," Usopp pointed out.

"Prepare the cannons," Luffy grinned as he went into his cabin. He quickly withdrew his coat and put it over his shoulders, letting the sleeves dangle free.

He came back out and asked Johnny and Yosaku to lend their swords to Zoro and sit back. "This is our crew's fights, so don't interfere," he told them. He saw Nami looking scared and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Trust me," was all he said. Those words seemed to lift her spirit somewhat as the corners of her mouth bent slightly upwards.

Once they were in front of the opening in the cliff, Luffy ordered Usopp to fire the cannons. They blew the door down and proceeded to sail forward in the smoke, ignoring the bewildered cries of the Fishman. Luffy was standing on Merry's figurehead, his straw hat hiding the rage in his eyes while his coat fluttered behind him.

Zoro and Sanji were standing on either side of him on Merry's deck. Zoro had his bandana on and was wielding the two swords he'd received while Sanji was smoking, his hands shoved inside his pockets. Usopp came forward to stand with them as Nami navigated the boat from the cabin.

Once the smoke and debris cleared, they saw several Fishmen all standing around with their arms folded, looking as though the explosion just now had not fazed them. The only exception was one with a saw-like nose who was lounging on a lawn chair.

"Oh? Pirates? I don't recognize the mark. What do you want?" asked Arlong calmly, his narrow eyes scrutinizing them haughtily.

Luffy didn't reply as he jumped down and casually strolled across the cement floor towards Arlong. Two large Fishman appeared in front of him, blocking his way with swords.

"Oi, didn't you hear Arlong-sama ask you a question, pipsqu-"

They both suddenly stared foaming at the mouth and fell down as Luffy walked by them, not even slowing down. The Fishmen all looked startled as Arlong suddenly sat up a little straighter in his chair, tensing.

"Is that...?" he wondered out loud. It couldn't be…

"Boss, isn't that Nami?" asked Kuroobi.

The orangette had come out now and was looking at Arlong with determination.

"Ah, I see. So it seems you've finally lost your mind Nami. What a pity," he threw at her spitefully, not losing his cool demeanor.

Brown eyes glared at him defiantly, a confidence unlike he had ever seen shining in them.

"No Arlong. I'm perfectly sane."

"Shahahahaha! Then you expect these puny humans to defe-?"

By now Luffy was standing right in front of Arlong. The fishman stopped mid-sentence as he looked into the fierceness of Luffy's eyes and an unexplainable chill went through his spine. Unexplainable because he, as a superior Fishman, could never feel a thing like fear in front of a puny, inferior human like the one before him. Then why did it feel like he was staring into the eyes of a Sea King rather than a human?

"Who are you?"

Ignoring the question, Luffy slowly raised his fist until it was at Arlong's eye level. "You made my navigator cry," he growled with barely suppressed rage as he smashed his fist into Arlong's face, sending him flying back through his own base. Nami let out a gasp of disbelief coupled with excitement. Only in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine Arlong being sent flying like that.

The Fishmen's jaws collectively dropped in shock as they cried out their leader's name. Luffy calmly turned around to face his men, who had now jumped off the ship and were casually striding forward (except Usopp, who's knees were shaking a bit).

"Zoro, take out Hachi. Don't kill him though. Sanji, deal with the guy with weird elbows. Usopp you take your lip counterpart. Do what you need too to win and remember what I told you. The small fry are first come, first serve."

"Who's Hachi?" Zoro asked, already searching the bunch with his eyes.

"Oh. He's the octopus."

With that Luffy turned around and started walking through the holes Arlong's body had made. The Fishmen were in further disbelief after hearing a human order his men to wipe them out, as if defeating Fishmen were as easy as washing dishes. They didn't snap out of it until Sanji had kicked away the nearest ones to him.

"I get what's going on now. You bastards hurt Nami-chan. Prepare to be fried," he seethed, the anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Damn it! It's just a bunch of humans! Kill them all!" roared Kuroobi as he and his companions charged.

On his way through the base, Luffy picked up Arlong's huge blade and dragged it along as he calmly walked through the rubble, taking his time and punching a wall or two down along the way, if they weren't already collapsed. Outside of the base he saw Arlong picking himself up, thankfully. It'd be too disappointing if he got knocked out by a half powered punch. He tossed the long blade to Arlong, who picked it up, his feral eyes staring at him in confusion and suspicion.

Arlong brushed himself off and growled at Luffy. "Who the hell are you? How is someone this strong in the East Blue?"

"Monkey D Luffy, future Pirate King," replied Luffy as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at Arlong. "Tell me, how was a piece of shit like you ever on the same ship as Jinbe? That's almost as sad as Buggy's case."

"You know Jinbe? Did that human licking dog send you after me?" asked Arlong, his eyes widening in surprise at the name.

Luffy couldn't else but scoff.

"Hmph. As if Jinbe needs to bother with a weakling like you. He would take you out with a flick of his finger."

This time Arlong's eyes narrowed in rage. "You think I'm weaker than that scum? You think I'm weaker than that lap dog of the government?"

"Of course. Why else would you flee to the weakest of the seas and spend eight years to conquer a handful of islands. If this wasn't my navigator's home, I wouldn't even waste my time with a trout like you."

"You bastard! Learn your place! You're nothing but an inferior being in front of the might of Fishmen!" Arlong shouted as his eyes constricted and red veins appeared like with those of an angered sea beast. Arlong roared as he charged with his blade, swinging it wildly at Luffy. The rubber-man easily dodged it, not even bothering to take his hands out if his pocket.

"You say that, but you're weaker than half the humans I know. Hell, you're not even that high up on the Fishmen ladder," Luffy stated, growing bored of his opponent's never-ending rant and the slow paced fight. God, had the guy already been this annoying the first time around?

"Shut up! Let me show you the insurmountable power of Fishmen," yelled Arlong as he feinted a slash with his blade but then lunged forward with his jaws wide open. He caught Luffy's hand and bit down hard, growling in victory. The growl quickly changed to a grunt of disbelief as Luffy lifted him with that hand and turning around, threw him high into the air, sending him crashing into the top floor of his building.

Luffy looked down at the teeth left behind in his blackened hand before crushing them into dust. He jumped up and kicked his way into the hole left by Arlong.

Nami heard the crash and looked up to see Arlong's large blade poking out of her room. She gasped in surprise as she saw him pick himself up roughly, bleeding from the mouth.

Arlong looked through the window to see that detestable witch staring at him. Where the hell had she found someone like this in East Blue? He looked further down to see most of his men wiped out.

Only Kuroobi and Hachi were left standing, facing an opponent each. Chew was nowhere to be seen. He growled in anger as he saw his men going all out against the pathetic humans._ 'How the hell was this happening?' _he thought.

* * *

><p>"Hmm, I just thought of a good sea food dish to make," Sanji smirked as he kicked aside the incoming punch. He was fighting against Kuroobi's martial arts. He had taken a couple of blows when he was shocked by the whip like hair and had a fractured rib. However his opponent was faring much worse with a broken jaw and elbow. He was breathing heavily and pulled a last ditch attempt to beat the cook by tackling him into the water.<p>

At the same time Zoro was fighting against the six sword wielding octopus. If it weren't for his injury from Mihawk, the fight would've been long over. However Hachi's attacks were so ridiculous he was still able to dodge or block them easily, and hadn't been hit once whereas the octopus was bleeding from a few different locations.

Arlong whipped around and raised his blade as Luffy jumped up through the whole in the wall.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to beat you just yet," Luffy declared, looking around the room filled with paper. "This is the room you prisoned Nami in, right? This is the room I want you to see your entire life fall around you. Keep watching as my nakama tear yours apart."

"Hmph. At least one of your men is going to die. Kuroobi just pulled him underwater. No human can face a Fishman underwater!" yelled Arlong as he charged at Luffy.

The Strawhat captain just sidestepped and grabbed his dorsal fin before throwing him back against the wall. "I said watch. You'll get your beating soon enough," he said in a low, threatening voice.

Arlong growled in rage and charged at Luffy again.

"Shark on Darts!"

Luffy simply sighed and jumped over him before stomping him into the floor. He grabbed him by the nose and pulled him up, dragging him back to the window. Seeing as he didn't stop resisting, Luffy broke his nose, causing Arlong to scream in pain. He held the fishman's head against the window, not letting him move an inch.

"Do not make me repeat myself," Luffy growled, applying more pressure for good measure.

Arlong roared helplessly as he was forced to watch the fights. His only comfort was that Kuroobi would win as long as he kept the human underwater. This was confirmed when he saw the blonde man's head break the water surface for a breath before he was yanked back down.

He watched as Hachi was pushing the swordsman back. He should win as well considering he had twice the amount of swords and the green haired man was apparently injured. If only he could get Nami, who was staring at him from the ship...

He quickly pulled out his regrown teeth and flung them at Nami, shattering the window and grinning in triumph. He might not be able to beat this man, but at least all his friends he seemed to care about would die.

To his surprise, Luffy stretched his hand down and caught the teeth while they were still in the air, just a few feet away from Nami.

"Unless you want me to shove these down your throat, don't do that again."

"Curse you! No wonder you're so strong! You ate one of those damn devil fruits. Just like that light bastard! There's no way why else humans couldbeat us!"

Luffy started to chuckle. "I haven't used my devil fruit powers once directly against you though. Nor do any of my current nakama possess them."

"Th-that's impossible! Then why are you so strong?" Arlong screamed. It was an outrageous claim the boy was making. Luffy didn't answer, except to direct his face towards Zoro and Hachi.

Arlong's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before him.

Zoro finally saw an opening as Hachi rushed at him with all six swords.

"Toro Nagashi!" he yelled as he bent into the attack, using his three swords to dodge and deflect the oncoming blades until, flowing through all six swords as water flows around a rock. He emerged from the barrage completely unharmed. Hachi on the other hand had received a slash across his chest. He howled in pain before turning around.

He then charged holding all six swords pointed together. As Zoro brought his blades forward to block, Hachi swung his blades out, leaving Zoro open. He lunged forward for a head-butt but was met with Zoro's knee smashing into his chin. He went stumbling back, leaving himself open for an attack.

"Ushi Bari! (Bull Horns)" growled Zoro as he charged forward, holding his two swords against his head as if he were a bull with horns. He ran into Hachi and managed to cut him several times. The octopus staggered a few steps before he fell down. Zoro collapsed shortly afterwards, having overexerted himself.

"Hachi!" Arlong bellowed.

Just then the water surface broke, revealing two figures climbing out. Sanji stumbled out, bleeding from the mouth and gasping for air. Kuroobi also climbed out with the only injury being on his gills.

"Still not done, cook?" muttered Zoro from the floor.

"Shut up idiot! You try holding your breath and fighting underwater"

"You've really made me mad now," growled Kuroobi. "I will defeat you with my ultimate technique, the 1000 brick fist!" yelled the Fishman, but before he could move Sanji launched an overwhelming barrage of kicks aimed at several vital points on his body. He didn't stop until he had hit nearly every major part and Kuroobi fell down unconscious.

"Kuroobi!" Arlong screamed. How was this possible? It just couldn't be!

As Sanji sat down to catch his breath, Usopp came running through the gates.

"I did it guys! The great captain Usopp took down a Fishman! That long lipped idiot was no match for Caaaptaiiin Usopp!"

"Even Chew! No! How is this possible! This can't be happening!" roared Arlong, as Luffy finally let go of him and walked back to the middle of the room. He bent down and picked up a bloody pen, his eyes going dark with rage.

"You filthy subspecies! I'll kill you!" screamed Arlong as he once again charged at Luffy, forgetting the difference in strength. He was blind with hatred. Luffy didn't even turn around to face him as he simply raised a fist and let Arlong run into it and fall back on his butt. He squeezed his other hand crushing the pen into pieces.

"You're mad? Well I am completely pissed. How dare you imprison Nami in this room?"

"That's because Nami's happiness lies in drawing maps. She's also essential for my dreams. I need those maps so we can take over the world. You'll never be able to use her like I-"

His voice trailed off as Luffy turned to look at him so ferociously that he could feel the murderous aura surrounding him as thick as water.

"Use?" Luffy questioned in a quiet, but frightening voice, laced with promises of pain. "Use her? What do you take her for?"

Luffy advanced on Arlong, who was trying to crawl away from him. Fear had gripped him, utter fear for his life and of that man. Suddenly Luffy halted and turned around again. "No you don't deserve death. Instead I will destroy your dreams," he growled as he vulcanized his hand with Haki, causing flames to erupt. He punched the stacks of paper, setting them aflame. He smashed the desk apart, sending the blazing debris flying out the window. Arlong could do nothing as he watched Luffy tear down his life's work. Once he had completely demolished the room, Luffy walked back to his opponent, who again tried to crawl away.

Lifting him by the collar, he threw him through the roof and high into the sky. He jumped after him, appearing above Arlong as he punched him down, sending him crashing through each floor of the building until he hit the very bottom. The building seemed to stagger for a while, creaking and cracking, before it came crashing down. Luffy landed on the rubble, his coat and sash fluttering behind him. Zoro, Sanj and Usopp were watching him with wide grins. Johnny and Yosaku had their jaws dropped to their feet. Nami was holding her hand over her mouth and trying to hold back tears as she watched her prison and captor come tumbling down. After all this time, it felt so strange to know that she was truly free.

"NAAAAAAMMMIII! YOURE MY NAKAMA!" yelled Luffy.

It was all it took for her to burst into tears and she could only nod in response.

Luffy picked up Arlong's flag and tossed it to Usopp. "Tell the island that Arlong Park has fallen and to prepare for a party," Luffy grinned. He hopped down from the last remains of the crushed place and started to dig through it.

"What are you doing?" Sanji asked curiously.

"There's one more thing I need to do. Take Nami to her village," he ordered.

Sanji was more than happy to oblige as he took Nami there, dancing around the entire time.

Luffy finally cleared the rubble and pulled out Arlong's body. He checked to make sure it was breathing. "Good, still alive."

"Stop right there!" shouted a rat faced Marine. "This must be my lucky day! To think some no name pirates could take down the Fishmen. Now I'll take the credit along with all the beli Arlong had saved up! Drop your weapons!" he ordered.

Luffy just walked towards him and dumped Arlong at his feet. "Oh, good, I was going to look for you guys but this should make it easier. Give me Arlong's bounty."

"What? A pirate demanding a bounty? Hahaha! You fool, you're lucky if I don'-"

"Shut up. You're the kind of marine I hate the most. Unless you want to end up like him, give me his bounty and find all the beli he owned. I'll take it all," said Luffy as he grabbed the marine unceremoniously by the collar and glared at him.

The marine nearly passed out as his men scampered to obey. They returned soon after, carrying bags of loot from the demolished base as well as the twenty million for Arlong's bounty.

Luffy punched the marine unconscious and loaded the money and Zoro on to the ship (Zoro protesting at being carried like a bag of potatoes). He then had Johnny and Yosaku navigate the boat to the village. They arrived there to see the villages all jumping around and shouting in joy, while many were throwing Usopp up and catching him, no doubt celebrating captain Usopp's single handed defeat of a hundred Fishmen.

The crew partied at the island for a couple of days. Zoro also received real medical work on his wound from the local doctor. Sanji flirted with all the local girls and introduced the cooks to some of his recipes. Usopp sang songs about himself. Luffy stuffed himself, as usual. Nami stayed away from the party the first day where she spent by Bellemere's grave with her sister, but even she joined in later after getting her tattoo replaced with a new one.

* * *

><p>Luffy found himself on a hill with a grave at the top. There was the guy that had the cool pinwheel hat standing there too. He was holding several pieces of meat in each hand and more in his mouth.<p>

"Ah I thought Sanji said the ham melon was this way," pouted Luffy causing the man to look back at him. "Guess I'll go back," he said as he turned around.

"Wait a minute, kid!" commanded Genzo.

Luffy turned around once again. "Ah, a grave? Someone died?

"Yes, she's been dead a long time."

"Ah. You have my... condolences," said Luffy, thinking of the right word.

"Thanks. Kid, Nami will go with you to become a pirate. If you ever hurt her, I will kill you. Do you understand!?"

"I'll never hurt her," replied Luffy confidently as he smiled softly.

The scarred man stared for a moment at Luffy's confident expression before nodding and turning back to the grave. He let out a sigh of relief. That one look into the kid's eyes has told him he wouldn't have to worry about Nami at all. Rather he should worry about what would happen to anyone that hurt her.

"Hey old man, you're the village's leader right?" asked Luffy suddenly, after having chomped down on most of his meat.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Here," Luffy said as he took out a black cloth from his coat. It fluttered open in the breeze to reveal the Straw Hat's Jolly Roger. "If you want, you can put this up on your island. Soon, I'll be so famous that my name will be enough to keep pirates from ever stepping foot on any island bearing my mark," explained Luffy as he handed the flag over and walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Genzo alone on the cliff.

* * *

><p>It was an odd looking building with a mouse's head with the number 16 stamped on it. Inside a frantic, rat faced man was dialing to the Marine HQ.<p>

"Hello Main Base! This is Commander Nezumi of unit 16, code MC 00739! I have something to report!" he yelled into the transmitter.

"We can hear you, there is no need to shout," said the voice on the other side.

"Listen! There is a dangerous pirate named Luffy! He always wears a Strawhat! He has four members and has declared himself an enemy to the government! He defeated Arlong and demanded his bounty. He also took all his treasure. I'm sending the picture now!" said Nezumi as he grabbed the picture his henchman had taken. "Couldn't you find anything scarier?" He yelled before faxing the picture to the main base.

The picture was of Luffy standing arms crossed over his chest, with his hat and captains coat on. The coat was blown around him in a gust of wind, making it look more like a cloak and showing most of the Straw Hat Jolly Roger. He would've seemed an intimidating figure if he wasn't grinning like an idiot in a perfect 'D' shape, his eyes closed in bliss. At the corner of the poster, there was the back of the head of another person.

* * *

><p>AN: In celebration of this story getting 100 followers, I wrote this chapter as quickly as I could. Hope you guys like it!<p>

I want to thank everyone who reviewed and followed this story! I asked for 20 reviews last chapter and I got 21 lol! So thank you everyone! I appreciate the support!

If you're wondering why Luffy was so... ruthless with Arlong, it's because after seeing his nakama die, he's become Even more protective of them. If having a reputation of being ruthless to those who hurt his friends helps protect them, then so be it.

Thanks again and have a great day folks!

Special thanks to SerenePenix For betaing this chapter!


	8. Family Reunion!

Chapter 8 - Family Reunion!

After the villagers had worn themselves out with partying, the Straw Hats prepared to set sail. The entire village was crowded by the docks, bidding them farewell. The two bounty hunters said good bye, striking their trademark pose. They were only waiting for Nami who shouted to set sail as soon as she appeared at the end of the harbor. The crew obeyed as she ran forward, stealing all the villagers' money.

After waving good bye, they left. They sailed on enjoying each other's company.

By mid-morning the news coo came around. Nami bought the paper complaining about the price increase.

"So? You don't have to collect money anymore, right?" asked Usopp as he was working on a new chili ball.

"Don't be stupid. From now on I'll collect money for myself!" declared Nami.

"Oh, Nami, go check your room," said Luffy suddenly appearing in front of Usopp and causing him to fling the concoction into his eyes and start rolling around, screaming in pain.

"My room? Okay.." said Nami as she went to check, ignoring Usopp's misery.

Once she opened the door, she saw three large sacks.

"Eh? What is this?" She opened them to see a bag full of Belly while the other two were full of various jewels and gold.

"Waaahhh? Where did all this money come from?" questioned Nami as her eyes turned into Belly signs. "This is at least seventy million!"

"Shishishi. That's from Arlong's base and his bounty," explained Luffy from the doorway. "Consider it his payment for working under him all those years."

"Kiyaaaah!" she screamed in joy as she ran over to hug her captain, her eyes still Belly signs. "I love you!"

"Shishishi!" laughed Luffy. He suddenly caught sight of a flyer falling out of the newspaper as Nami hugged him. Both of their eyes fell on it, along with Usopp and Sanji, the former coming to see what the commotion was, while Sanji came to beat up his captain for daring to hug his sweet Nami. All three stopped, screaming in surprise while Luffy's grin grew bigger.

* * *

><p>At the briefing room in Marine HQ, Brannew stood in front of a bulletin board with three wanted posters on it. He addressed the assembly of high ranking marines in front of him.<p>

"Buggy the Clown, 15 million. 'Foul Play' Don Krieg, 17 million. The Fishman 'Saw-Tooth' Arlong, 20 million. The average price in East Blue is only 3 million! Yet all these big shots have been easily defeated!" he exclaimed as he lifted another bounty poster and slammed it on the table in front of him. It was Luffy's poster, listing him as wanted, dead or alive, for 50 million.

"It may seem surprising to give this man a starting price of 50 million Belly, especially in East Blue, but considering the circumstances I don't think it's too outrageous. He reportedly took down all three pirates with ease and did not sustain a single injury. He was seen manhandling both Krieg and Arlong as if they were mere children! He is clearly a Grand Line level pirate. It is imperative to crush such parasites before they expand any further! But luckily, we have been told he will be taken care of before entering the Grand Line by our very own Vice Admiral Garp!"

* * *

><p>"F..f..fi..fif...fif...fifty million!?" stammered Usopp.<p>

"Shishishi! Looks like I've become pretty popular!" cheered Luffy, holding the poster up for the rest to see.

"Don't you understand anything?" cried Nami as she sweated and face-palmed. "With a bounty this high, the main marines will be on the move, not to mention all the bounty hunters! And you won't be able to bribe your way out of it like Arlong could!"

"Oh! Look I'm on there too!" yelled Usopp, pointing at the back of his head in the corner. Upon seeing it Sanji went and sat down sulkily, muttering that it was only his hair.

"We can't waste our time in East Blue anymore," announced Nami, ignoring the two bickering five-year-olds.

"Yup, we're heading for the Grand Line!" shouted Luffy.

"Yeah!" Usopp and Sanji danced, hand in hand, differences forgotten.

"Hey, I see an island," interrupted Zoro, from the front of the ship.

"That's Louge Town!" yelled Luffy before Nami could. He quickly crawled up on to Merry's head to look at the island. "The town of beginning and end."

"Beginning and end?" inquired Usopp curiously.

"Yeah, this is where Roger was born and executed," Nami explained.

Luffy turned around to face his crew, trying to adopt a serious expression, but failing horribly due to the excitement of their upcoming landing. "Okay you guys! I don't want any of you to make a ruckus on that island because there's a powerful marine there."

"Shouldn't you be telling that to yourself?" countered Sanji annoyed.

"Shishishi! Nami I need you to buy a few things for me," said Luffy as he listed all the necessities to her.

"I'm gonna go buy some tools!" exclaimed Usopp.

"There must be a lot of food here. I'll get us restocked," said Sanji.

"I want to buy something too," said Zoro. Nami quickly jumped on the opportunity and offered him money at 300% interest.

"Zoro, maybe you should see if you can find something good before borrowing the money?" offered Luffy,remembering what Nami at times had made his first member do for reimbursement. Zoro took the hint and nodded his thanks as Nami scowled at Luffy.

"Shishishi! See ya guys, I want to see the execution site!"

* * *

><p>At an isolated island...<p>

"Wah! What are you doing here Hawkeyes?"

"Shut up, I have no business with you. Where is your captain?" asked Mihawk as he causally strolled through the ranks of the pirates towards a certain red-head.

"Oh, Hawkeyes? What a surprise. I'm not really in a good mood right now. Did you come to fight?" questioned Shanks, sitting around in the shade with his men.

"I have no desire fight a one armed man. I met some interesting pirates. They reminded me of a story you told me a long time ago. The one about that boy from the village," remarked the swordsman as he handed Shanks Luffy's wanted poster.

"So you've finally come, Luffy," grinned Shanks. "Everyone! Let's party! It's a very happy day! Join us Mihawk! I won't let you leave!"

* * *

><p>Luffy's entire village was partying after they received the news of Luffy's bounty.<p>

"Luffy's become so famous!"

"Maybe he'll become the famous pirate from our village!" cheered the villagers.

"Silence you fools! What's so good about a bad man coming from our village?" argued the Mayor.

"But look chief, Luffy looks so happy!" Makino said, gentle eyes alight with joy.

"A pirate is still a pirate!" Woop Slap barked. Could they not understand that if word got out this might ruin the village's reputation?

"But it's his dream," countered Makino.

"His dream, or his destiny?" the mayor wondered out loud.

* * *

><p>On a certain whale shaped ship in the New World, Marco the Phoenix, the first Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, was enjoying his morning flight. He spotted the News Coo flying in from a distance and decided to cut it short. That damned bird always flew away at top speed as soon as it saw him in his bird form. As if he was uncultured enough to eat a raw bird!<p>

Landing on the deck, he withdrew a coin and waited for the bird to swoop in. It dropped him the paper and flew off with its payoff.

Marco flew up to the crow's (or as his crew liked to call it, the phoenix's) nest and started to read it. He always enjoyed reading out loud and the crew made fun of him if he did it in front of everyone.

"Man what's up will all these rookies popping up, yoi? 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law stirs up North Blue. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd massacres another village. Sick bastard, there's better ways of getting attention. Dra- whoa! Looks like Drake finally left the marines, yoi! Looks like Jozu owes me a drink. Highest Bounty in East Blue, 'Straw Hat' Luffy."

He paused.

"Hey hang on a sec, isn't Luffy the kid Ace and Sabo are always on about, yoi?" He took a closer look at the poster and his eyes widened at that familiar grin. The three might not be blood brothers, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from their identical smiles. On a second look, this kid's was even wider!

"Oi! Ace! Sabo! Come here, yoi!" yelled Marco as he glided down to the deck, grinning the whole way, careful not to burn the newspaper again in his anticipation.

"What's up, bird-man?" asked Sabo as he strolled over. Ace was probably still finishing breakfast.

"Don't call me that, yoi! Anyway, check this out!" he said, tossing the part of the paper about Luffy to Sabo.

Sabo looked at him curiously before he began to read. Marco watched him with a smirk that only grew as he saw Sabo's eyes widen and his jaw drop.

"L-L-L-Luffy?!" he stuttered, blinking several times before looking at the picture again. "F-f-fifty million!" he yelled as he looked at the bounty, as a small crowd was gathering around to see what had made the usually composed Sabo panic. "Ace! Get over here now!" he yelled.

Ace walked over, chewing a piece of meat. "What's up, Sabo?"

"Look at this!" he screeched as he shoved the paper into his face.

Ace studied it for a moment, before his jaw opened and the piece of meat dropped out.

"Eehhhhh?! Luffy?! Fifty million? What the hell did that idiot do this time?"

"Why are you guys freaking out so much?" asked Marco, feigning innocence while trying to hold back his smirk.

"He got a higher initial bounty than both me and Ace! No one in East Blue gets that kind of bounty!" Sabo argued, practically shouting.

"Pops! Look, Pops! This is our bro!" said Ace as he started to run to Whitebeard, holding the paper up.

Whitebeard took it between his huge hands and looked it over.

"So that's the snot nosed brat you two never shut up about?"

"Yeah! That's our weak little crybaby brother!" exclaimed Ace as he Whitebeard raised a questioning brow at him. Marco stared to laugh behind him.

"What?" demanded Ace.

"You guys always said he was weak, but the papers say he took out all the big shots in East Blue without getting a scratch, yoi. Not to mention he looks a lot better than you two in that coat," grinned Marco.

"Wait, what?" screamed Ace and Sabo simultaneously.

"Gurararara!" laughed Whitebeard as he took another look at the picture. He couldn't help but remember his old rival when he saw that huge grin and coat.

* * *

><p><em>'Crap. Crap, crap, crap. This was NOT supposed to be happening,'<em> thought Luffy as he ducked into an alley way. He had been on his way to the execution site when he spotted Smoker. Feeling mischievous, he went up to him to ask for directions, which Smoker showed with his smoke. Chuckling, Luffy ran along but as he turned the corner he spotted the last person he expected to see.

There was his grandfather, walking down the road, munching on his favorite donuts and trailed by Coby and Hem... something.

Luffy had quickly ducked back around the corner and ran into the nearest alley. _'Ugh, I can't deal with gramps yet! But I really wanna see the execution site again. It was sooo cool.'_

After a few moments he saw Smoker walking by, then heard him stop. Using his Haki, he knew it was because he met up with his grandfather. He sneaked closer to the opening to listen to what they were saying.

"Vice Admiral Garp? I didn't hear you were coming to town," spoke Smoker through his cigars.

"Well, if it isn't Smoker! How are you doing brat? I wasn't planning to stop by, but something came up," said Garp. Luffy could sense Coby and the other kid standing behind his gramps and could just barely hear Coby whisper "Captain Smoker" in awe.

"If it's to do with pirates, I can handle them."

"Bwahaha, I heard you haven't let a single one pass by since you took command here. But this one is a little special. I want you to let me handle it."

"I wasn't informed anyone like that was in East Blue."

"That's because he just started out. Coby show him the poster."

Luffy could hear Coby rustling some papers before he stepped forward to show one to Smoker.

"That brat! He was worthy fifty million? Has the marine standard fallen that low?"

"Oh, you've seen him?" questioned Garp.

"He was asking for directions to the execution site. Should be easy to track down."

"Nah, we don't have to. Isn't that right you little brat?" yelled Garp as he suddenly turned and punched the wall. Luffy screamed and started running, with Garp and the rest chasing him down. _'Crap, forgot Gramps has Haki too,'_ thought Luffy.

"Get back here brat! You had the nerve to run away after calling me like that? A pirate can't just call a Vice Admiral of the Marines! Stay still and face the fist of love!"

"No thanks, Gramps!" yelled Luffy over his shoulder as he continued to run. Stretching his hand up, he took to the roofs.

"Gramps?" questioned Smoker, as he floated along using his powers.

"Ah, yeah he's my grandson. Oh wait, that was supposed to be a secret. Don't tell anyone," said Garp as he jumped up to the roofs, causing cracks to appear where he landed. Smoker just facepalmed at Garp's explanation and flew up to the roofs. Coby was still on the ground trying to follow, but he quickly lost them and fell to his knees to catch his breath. He looked back to see Helmeppo doing the same a few hundred feet back.

Luffy jumped down once again, and doubled back as he tried to lose the two marines. He ran through alleys and across roads randomly trying to shake them off for a good half hour. Finally he emerged into an crowded square full of people and dove in. He couldn't see Garp or Smoker when he looked back so he was safe for now since he should be out of their Haki range. Looking forward again, he burst into a grin as he had found the execution platform. He quickly pushed through the crowd towards it and started climbing.

Once at the top he grinned and looked around. The view was as good as on his first visit! The people looked like small critters from here and he could see all the way to the harbors.

"Hey you! Get down from there!" yelled a policeman through a megaphone. "That is a historical landmark that belongs to the World Government. Get do-" he tried to finish but was interrupted by a steal mace to the face.

"I've been looking for you for a long time. Long time no see, Luffy!" exclaimed a beautiful lady wearing a heart patterned cloak and holding a mace as large as her body over her shoulder. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me?" she asked when she saw Luffy's blank face.

"Who are you?" questioned Luffy. He remembered seeing her long before he used his hat, but he'd forgotten who exactly she was.

"I'll never forget you because you were the first man to punch me in the face," she said dreamily. "I can still feel it."

"You like being punched? Are you a masochist or something?"

The women turned around to face the crowd that was ogling her to question who is the most beautiful woman in the world. They all immediately replied it was her. Even the police officers that had been told to arrest her.

"Oh you're that fat whale Alvida that somehow turned skinny!" said Luffy as he dropped his fist into his palm in realization.

"I wasn't fat! However I did lose all my acne."

"No, you lost a lot more than that." Luffy deadpanned.

Suddenly there was an explosion and a fountain piece was sent flying at Alvida. However it simply slid off her body.

"That's dangerous!" said Alvida in a mockingly worried tone.

"Sorry, but you don't need to worry since your skin is so smooth, Lady Alvida," said a hooded fellow as he stepped forward along with other hooded people. The only part of his face that was visible was his big red nose.

Alvida flung her cloak off to reveal her smooth skin as she went on to describe her fruit. Then she told Luffy that if he lost to these men, he wasn't fit to be her man.

The men flung their cloaks off to reveal Buggy and his pirate crew. The civilians around the square started panicking but before they could run away, the pirate crew stopped them at gun/sword point.

"Oh it's Boogy! Or was it Booly? Bogey maybe? Ah I know! It's Buffoon!" said Luffy, appearing serious on the outside, but chucking on the inside.

"Stop insulting me! You still have your foul mouth!" screeched Buggy in anger.

Luffy then sensed a presence above him targeting him. He was about to dodge, but then he sensed another extremely powerful and familiar aura, so he simply smirked and let himself be caught by Kabaji who came down and locked Luffy's head and hands at the execution place.

"Excellent Kabaji! Now I will execute you here in front of all these people! You should be honored to die in the same place as the Pirate King!" shouted Buggy as he climbed up the platform.

In a nearby building, Garp, Smoker, Taishigi, Coby, and Helmeppo watched the ensuing chaos along with their marine soldiers.

"Waaah! Luffy-san is going to be killed!" cried Coby.

"Seriously, have the marines started handing out bounties to everyone? How is that kid worth 50 million?" questioned Smoker as he watched in disgust as Luffy tried to unsuccessfully scratch his nose.

"Bwawawawa! I wonder how he plans to get out of that."

They listened as Buggy declared he was sentencing Luffy to death for making him mad. As he raised his sword, Garp tensed, ready to leap into action, but relaxed once again as he felt a powerful aura

_'So you're here to see him off?'_ he thought to himself.

"Wait till they kill Straw Hat, then rush in and capture the rest," ordered Smoker. "That won't be a problem, right Garp-san?" he asked.

"Hehehe. Not at all."

"What the hell is that idiot doing on the execution stake!" yelled his crew as they watched from a distance, loaded with bags of supplies they had all bought. They started to run to help, but Nami warned them of an impending storm so she took Usopp to the ship to get it ready to sail as Sanji and Zoro rushed to Luffy's aid.

Luffy saw Zoro and Sanji come to save him, but they were too far. Maybe he really shouldn't have let himself get caught a second time. He couldn't move either because the block was lined with Seastone.

"Now I'd like to start the execution!" shouted Buggy over the thundering clouds.

"I'm sorry. Please let me go," said Luffy in a monotonous voice, not sounding apologetic in the least.

"Like hell I will! Do you have any last words? Not that it will matter!"

Luffy sucked in a huge breath before shouting at the top of his lungs, "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

Everyone around, pirates, civilians, and marines alike gasped in shock at those words. Zoro and Sanji growled as they fought their way through the ranks of pirates. They weren't having trouble with them, but there were just too many to get to the stand in time.

"Hahahah! You're too late, Roronoa! Watch your captain's last moments!" shouted Buggy triumphantly as he raised his sword and prepared to bring it down.

"Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Sorry, but I'm dead," yelled Luffy grinning his trademark 'D' grin.

"Don't say that!" Sanji and Zoro screamed as they watched with horror.

Just as the sword was about to graze skin, a bolt of lightning struck, bringing the platform down, blinding the on-lookers. Once the flash of light had disappeared, Buggy could be seen lying on the ground, twitching a little. Luffy stepped out of the rubble and smoke, laughing loudly as he picked up his hat, not a single scratch on him.

"Hahaha! Looks like I survived! That was close," grinned the rubber-man. _'Thanks pops,'_ he thought to himself.

Everyone in the square stood in shock, their jaws hitting the floor, their eyes as wide as dinner plates.

The crew ran out of there as they heard shouts of marines rushing in.

"Oh guys, if you see an old marine with gray hair and a scar around his eye, run for your lives! Don't fight him no matter what!" Luffy ordered Sanji and Zoro.

On their way back to the ship, they were interrupted by Tashigi who stopped Zoro to fight. Luffy and Sanji continued on (after the cook warned Zoro not to hurt the girl). They kept running until Smoker appeared on his bike. Luffy ordered Sanji to keep going as he turned to face the marine.

_'Dammit, I don't want to reveal my strength, but I can't fight him without it! Maybe I should just run,'_ thought Luffy.

"I won't let you get away again, Straw Hat," announced Smoker as if he had read his thoughts. He launched a smoke fist at Luffy which he easily sidestepped. Luffy pulled on one eye and stuck his tongue out.

"You're not on my level yet, Smokey," he said while dodging each attack, before turning around and running away. Smoker gave chase, using his ability to fly behind him. But Luffy was faster than he had anticipated and he was beginning to lose sight of him.

Once he escaped the maze of buildings, he skidded to a halt. In front of him was Garp, standing tall with his arms folded across his chest.

"Gramps! Get out of my way!"

"No way Luffy! You became a pirate so now it's my duty to bring you in!" roared Garp. "And how dare you have such a rude conversation over the Den Den Mushi you little brat?" he yelled as he punched at Luffy. Luffy quickly jumped back in between the buildings again, only to see Smoker gaining on him. He was trapped between the two marines.

Luffy gave a long sigh. _'I really didn't want to show my power this early, but now I guess I have no choice,'_ he reasoned. He was just about to activate Gear Second to take on Garp when a cloaked man appeared beside him.

"What are you doing, brat? I thought I told you never to show your face to me again," growled Garp at the newcomer. He was wearing a dark green cloak, but the red tattoos were still visible on his face. Smoker had caught up and halted behind the two.

"You...you're.." he stammered after seeing the man.

"Isn't it a bit unfair to the child to have him go against a Captain and a Vice Admiral at the same time... father?" asked the hooded figure.

Garp's scowl only grew as he cracked his knuckles. "I told you to never call me that again."

Luffy looked at the two of them. "Well, I'd love to stick around for the family reunion, but I have a ship to catch. I'll leave you two to it then," he exclaimed and sprinted down an alleyway. "I owe you one Pops. See ya Gramps!" Luffy called over his shoulder, raising his hand to wave them good-bye.

Both Garp's and Dragon's eyes widened at the words.

"You told him about me?" questioned the revolutionary, unable to hide his surprise. From the corner of his eyes he glanced at the marine hero.

"No.. No I didn't," replied Garp, staring after his grandson.

Smoker was just looking around, more confused than ever. Garp motioned for him to run after Luffy and leave Dragon to him, so he obeyed. Luffy was waiting for him a few alleys down.

"Hey Smokey! I almost forgot, there was this idiot marine at branch 16. He's one of those corrupt bastards I hate, so have him removed for me will ya? Thanks! See ya later!" said Luffy, using his soru to disappear from sight, leaving Smoker to growl in anger and turn around to order his marines to prepare his boat. No pirate had escaped his smokey grasp yet, and he was not about to let this Straw Hat brat ruin that.

Luffy ran into Zoro, and guided him back towards the dock. The storm was on in full blast now. They saw their crew already in the boat, waiting for them. Luffy blasted himself and Zoro onto the ship, landing on the swordsman as usual. They sailed off, letting the strong winds take them away from the island. They soon sighted a bright light coming from a light house.

"That's the guide to the entrance of the Grand Line," stated Nami.

"Nami, did you get everything I asked you to?" asked Luffy.

"Yes. I found the hourglass compass thing, but I still don't know why you want it. It's not even working right. I also got the clothes and baby Den Den Mushis."

"Great!" cheered Luffy. Nami pulled out a baby Den Den Mushi for each of them and Luffy told them to always keep them on their persons. It would be important to keep in touch with each other in case anything happened. She also bought a regular one for the ship.

Sanji then pulled out a large barrel and set it in the middle of the deck. "Shall we start the ceremony for entering the ocean?" He asked with a large grin as he put his foot on the barrel. "To find All Blue!" he exclaimed.

Luffy followed suit and yelled, "To become the Pirate King!"

The next one was Zoro. "To become the world's greatest swordsman!"

Nami also joined them. "To draw a map of the world!"

Usopp hesitated as he looked at each of them and saw the conviction with which the declared their dreams. He drew in a large breath and slammed his foot up there with the rest and shouted as loud as he could, "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

All five raised their foot simultaneously and smashed the barrel to pieces. "Let's go to the Grand Line!"

Luffy grinned as he looked at the Red Line._ 'Vivi, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe, Ace, Sabo, Shanks! We're almost there! Wait for me a little longer.'_

* * *

><p>AN: Yes! Finally I can start the Alabasta Arc! I've been waiting to write that for such a long time! (Two weeks to be more precise. I'm surprised I wrote this much in two weeks.)<p>

Some people commented that my grammar is a bit off. And that's great because I love constructive criticism. But please do tell me how exactly it's wrong so I can fix it. I'd also appreciate any other tips or correction for my writing style, especially if you don't like it. Tell me so I know how to improve. Don't be shy, just lay it on me lol.

I assumed Garp and Dragon don't get along. I mean Dragon is the most wanted man in the world and tries to overthrow the government Garp works for, then he went and dumped his son to Garp and Garp never told Luffy about him, so I took liberty to assume they probably had an argument in the past ending with something like "you're dead to me" thing xD

Thanks for all the support guys! You can thank the part about Ace and Sabo to general yumi for giving me the idea :)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review! Have a great day!

PS: I will NOT be doing the Apis Arc. As far as I'm concerned, that arc doesn't exist. That doesn't mean I'll never do the filler arcs, but I won't do any that go against canon. Like the Apis arc. That was the worse than the fillers in Naruto. And that's saying a lot.

PSS (or is is supposed to be PPS?): My apologies to the first 40 or so readers that read this before I realized that, in my excitement to post this, I had forgotten to proof read it.


	9. Partying with Bounty Hunters!

Chapter 9 - Partying With Bounty Hunters!

"Nami! We have an emergency! The light from the lighthouse disappeared!" screamed Luffy as he hung upside down from Merry's head. Despite the emergency, he didn't lose his grin, enjoying the spray from the rain and waves as Merry cut through them.

"It's supposed to disappear. That's why you need a navigator. Trust me, I'll remember the way," Nami said confidently, standing by the figure head in a rain coat.

"You're good," smiled Luffy as he changed positions so he could hang from the head by his arms, letting his legs dangle free.

"Anyway, can you get off of there?"

"No. This is my special seat, you can't have it."

"Who wants to sit there, idiot? But looks like that rumor is true. Come inside, we need to discuss some things."

Once they were out of the rain and inside the cabin, Nami showed the crew the map to the Grand Line. "It looks like the entrance is a mountain."

"A mountain?" gasped Usopp in shock.

"I thought it was impos-"

"Um, Nami? Sorry to interrupt but you might want to check where we're going," Luffy interrupted as he snacked on an apple.

She shot him an incredulous look.

"What do you mean, Luffy?"

"Well we are pretty close to the Calm Belt. We could drift there accidentally," he replied, the apple's core disappearing in his mouth.

Nami's expression changed to one of complete shock for a moment before looking down at her compass and then at the ship's heading. "Crap! Luffy's right! Guys start rowing backwards immediately!"

"What's the big de-" Zoro tried to say before Nami's fist interrupted.

"Now! It'll be bad if we end up there!"

"Shishishi! Let's go Nami, it'll be fun. It's been a while since I've seen one of those Sea Kings!" Luffy chuckled, looking like it was the best idea he's ever had.

"No way!" screamed the navigator in outrage. " Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, take in the sails and start rowing!"

The three ran off to obey as their captain just laughed and grabbed another apple to munch on. Once they were back in the safe zone, Nami fixed the heading and made sure the storm wouldn't blow them off course again.

"That was really smart for once Luffy," she complimented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he pouted.

"It means that sometimes you surprise me with your intelligence while other times you drive me crazy with your stupidity."

"Nami's being a meanie! I won't tell you how to get through the mountain," said Luffy sticking his tongue at her.

Nami stared.

"Wait. You know how to?"

"Of course," replied Luffy, smirking cockily, enjoying his friend's confusion.

"How?" she uttered.

"You just go up the mountain," grinned Luffy.

Instantly, her curiosity was replaced with irritation.

"Idiot!" yelled Nami as she bonked him on the head. "And here I thought you were going to be smart. How the hell do you go up a mountain?"

"Why couldn't we just have gone south? We would've been there by now if you didn't make us turn around," grumbled Zoro.

"That's a bad idea Zoro!" yelled Luffy as he pointed at him and gave him a pitiful look. "We have to go up the mountain cause its cooler to use the entrance!"

"That's not it!" screamed Nami. "That way is the Calm Belt. If we went there we'd be trapped! There's no winds or currents in the Calm Belt. To top it off, it's the breeding ground for the biggest Sea Kings!

"Sea Kings?" shouted Usopp his knees shaking so badly they hit each other.

"That's right. Now shut up and let me figure this map out," commanded Nami.

"I already told you, Nami! We just need to go up the mountain!" Luffy insisted, frowning like a little obstinate kid. Nami just ignored him and continued studying the map, while Sanji kicked Luffy aside, telling him not to disturb her.

After a while, Nami looked up, a guilty expression on her face.

"Um, guys? I think Luffy was right. We'll have to go up the mountain," she said, refusing to look at Luffy's smug expression.

"How is that possible though?" asked Usopp, looking as disbelieving as they all felt.

"It looks like the ocean heads to the mountain and creates a stream strong enough to go up the canal. We just have to be careful to get the Merry in and out perfectly. If we lose control for even a second we'll crash into the mountain."

"I told you so!" said Luffy, blowing a raspberry at her. "Isn't the mystery mountain cool?"

After arguing back and forth for a while more, Luffy yelled that he'd spotted the mountain. Sanji and Usopp ran off to steer the ship and Zoro and Nami looked at the stream in disbelief. They almost crashed into the mountain side when the handle controlling the rudder broke, but Luffy quickly jumped in between and used his balloon move to push the boat back on course. Zoro grabbed him before he could fall into the ocean and the crew started dancing in celebration.

Luffy climbed back on his special seat while Sanji and Usopp climbed up to the sails as the stream catapulted them high into the air and far above the clouds towards the sun.

It looked as breathtaking as on the day he had passed through here a lifetime ago and a rush of excitement ran through Luffy as finally he was about to restart this journey. Smiling and closing his eyes, Luffy felt the wind rush past them harshly, nearly drowning out the shouts and cries of excitement and wonder of his crew.

This time everything would be alright.

He would make sure of it.

BOOOOOOO!

The moment was broken by a loud wailing noise, making them all snap back to attention.

"Hey did you guys hear something?" asked Zoro, his green eyes narrowing and searching the mist in front of him for something suspicious.

"Ah! Crap! Laboon!" cried Luffy as he ran into the cabin.

"Where are you going Luffy?" questioned Nami, still holding tightly onto the rail.

"Nami-chan! I see a mountain ahead!" warned Sanji.

"A mountain? That's impossible!"

They heard the sound again, louder this time and realized it was a massive whale. All four of them started panicking as Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp couldn't move the broken rudder to get the ship out of the way. Suddenly they heard the bang of a cannon, and then again. The force was enough to slow the ship down, and a third shot made the ship stop right in front of the whale.

_'Sorry Laboon, but I don't want my special seat destroyed.'_

The crew watched in horror, waiting for the whale to react to being hit with projectiles that normally would have torn a ship's hull apart. However it didn't seem to feel the cannons and they sighed in relief. They quickly started to row away, but then Luffy stepped in front of them wearing a mischievous grin.

"Hey... have you guys ever been inside a whale before?"

"What? Of course not!" they all replied. Luffy's grin only widened as he turned around and punched Laboon in the eye.

"Well, have fun!" declared Luffy as the rest of their jaws dropped to the floor. The whale opened its mouth and the ship was sucked in. Luffy was laughing so hard he could barely get off in time as Usopp was crying on the floor and Nami and Sanji started screaming profanities at Luffy. Zoro just gave him an odd look.

Luffy jumped off the ship and started kicking his feet as fast as he could, gaining air little by little. _'Ah! This is Sanji's Sky Walk!'_ he thought before losing balance and beginning to fall. He quickly stretched a hand and pulled himself up onto Laboon. _'Looks like I need a bit of practice with it.'_

Looking around, Luffy spotted the hatch on top of the head and dove in before Laboon submerged himself.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to kill him!" screamed Nami and Sanji as they were going down the whale's throat.<p>

"Why, Luffy? Why?!" cried Usopp miserably. He sat on the floor, hugging his knees.

"Calm down," said Zoro as leaned on the rail.

His nonchalant demeanor earned him the wrath of his crewmates.

"How can we?! We just got swallowed!" they yelled with shark teeth.

"Luffy clearly knows something about the whale. Do you really think he'd let a whale eat his nakama?" Zoro questioned, challengingly raising an eyebrow.

That shut them up.

"I'm still going to kill him when I see him," growled Nami.

"Shitty rubber," Sanji muttered furiously as he lighted a smoke. "I'll kick him so hard he'd wish he was swallowed instead.

Suddenly the ship flowed into... the ocean? There was a sky and even an island, but the water was green.

Thanks to a weird flower man, they soon found out they were still in the stomach and the sky was just a painting. The man also told them about how Laboon was smashing his head into the Red Line out of loneliness.

* * *

><p>Luffy was sent tumbling down the tunnels as Laboon was smashing his head into the wall.<p>

"Ah, so dizzy! But hey, this is kinda fun!" he yelled right before he smashed face first into a wall. He stood up in a curved hallway with a stream going down the middle. The hallway tilted again and Luffy had to run down it in order to keep upright. After turning around the corner, he spotted a man and woman standing by a door, dressed in strange clothes. As they turned around to look at him, he saw Vivi.

* * *

><p><em>Vivi was bowing in front of the villagers even though they'd just shot at her. "You still don't understand what it means to be a Captain, Luffy. If you fight now, what will happen to Nami?"<em>

_Vivi was slapping him silly after he'd provoked her on purpose. "Then what else am I supposed to risk? I don't have anything else!"_

_Vivi dressed like the princess she is, standing by the shore waiting for them. "I can't come with you because I love my country! But if we ever meet again, will you still call me your nakama?"_

* * *

><p>Luffy grinned widely as he ran toward them. He had missed Vivi. The two screamed at him as they saw him coming, causing Luffy to laugh as they crashed and went flying through the door.<p>

Luffy saw his ship and immediately started kicking towards it, but he was still not familiar enough with the move yet and was falling faster than he could manage to approach the Going Merry. At the last second he stretched himself over to the ship. Vivi and Mr. 9 fell into the stomach acid.

"Luffy! Why the hell did you do that?!" raged Nami and Sanji as they beat him up.

"Sorry sorry," said Luffy smirking and not sounding apologetic at all. "Anyway, Zoro go save those two."

With stoic silence Zoro went and brought the two on to the deck where they figured out that they were on a pirate ship. At that moment Crocus came back after having tranquilized Laboon. Seeing the intruders he started shouting at them while they pulled out two bazookas from seemingly nowhere and aimed them at the whale's stomach yet before they could even fire Luffy stopped them and ordered for them to be tied up.

Crocus thanked them and told them a bit of Laboon's story while traveling out of whale's stomach. It turned out that Crocus was a doctor that had engineered the whale. Once outside Crocus told them to throw the two trouble makers over board and be done with it. Luffy discretely took their log pose before doing so. He chuckled over Vivi's behavior here.

_'She's really good at acting like a bad person even though she's really nice,'_ Luffy thought.

Once outside, Crocus went on with Laboon's story, about how he had been waiting for 50 years for a group of pirates to fulfill their promise and meet him here. Usopp and Sanj argued over why they hadn't come while Luffy couldn't help but reminisce about Brook, surely still lost in the Florian Triangle waiting for help. After the story was finished,the rubber-boy got up and jumped onto Laboon's head while the rest wondered what he was up to.

"What is that idiot doing?" asked Sanji.

Locating the new wounds, Luffy punched them causing the whale to tear up and roar in pain, making his crew and Crocus gasp in horror. The gigantic whale tried to shake its head to knock Luffy off but he wouldn't let go and kept hitting. Laboon leapt up, smashing his head into the cliff. Unfazed, Luffy responded by punching him in the eye. When he went to slam him again, Luffy put up his hand.

"It's a tie!" he yelled, causing the whale to pause in confusion. A confident smile was showing on Luffy's face. "I'm strong, right? But we don't know the outcome of this match, so we'll have to fight again in the future. Your old friends might not have come back yet, but I'll travel around the Grand Line, look for them, and then come back here to see you. Then we'll fight again!" shouted Luffy, grinning.

Laboon, overwhelmed, roared in agreement and Crocus smiled at them. As a sign of their promise Luffy painted a very poorly drawn Jolly Roger on Laboon and told him not go and smash his head on the cliffs again – otherwise the symbol of their promise would be erased.

Afterwards Nami started working on planning their route while Usopp repaired Merry's rudder. Sanji started cooking an elephant tuna he'd bought in Louge Town and Zoro and Luffy took a nap.

Or at least tried to until Nami started screaming.

"What's wrong?" asked Luffy.

"The compass is broken!"

Crocus, who couldn't believe his own ears when they went and told him they knew practically nothing about the Grand Line, then explained to them why no normal compass would work in these waters, while Sanji brought out the cooked fish. Luffy started eating, only stopping to show the Log Pose he had taken from Vivi.

Nami still punched him for some reason before taking it. When Sanji realized he had finished the whole fish and kicked him, making him smash into Nami and broking the Log Pose as a result, Nami kicked Sanji off the cliff in anger. As she turned to Luffy he quickly held his hands up.

"Wait, don't worry I have another one.", he said hastily, hands waving.

She halted, blinking at him. "What? Really?!"

"Yeah I, um, 'borrowed' one from my home island from some rich dude. It's in my box on the ship."

"If you had one, why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"Because someone would've broken it," replied Luffy, leaving Nami to mumble something about him being in a smart mood again.

Just then Sanji appeared, escorting Vivi and Mr. 9. They begged them to take them to Whiskey Peak. Nami being Nami, taunted them, saying they broke their Log Pose causing the two to start insulting them. She interrupted and said they did have a spare one and the two immediately went back to groveling.

"We'll take you," Luffy announced, much to their surprise.

"Eh? Are you sure Luffy?" questioned Nami.

"Of course," replied Luffy before looking at Vivi slyly. "One shouldn't refuse royalty after all," he said leaving Mr. 9 to boast about his kingship while Vivi looked confused.

They left the lighthouse, waving good bye to Crocus and Laboon.

It started snowing on the way to Whiskey Peak and Luffy and Usopp had fun goofing around, while Nami made Sanji shovel. Zoro slept peacefully. When the two hitchhikers complained about the cold, she kicked them out of the kitchen, telling them to go shovel as well. Luffy though allowed Vivi to go back inside and just made Mr. 9 do the work, earning him some weird looks. After some time Nami freaked out about how they were going completely backwards when they had just been going straight a few seconds ago. They then proceeded to battle the horrible storms that resulted from the unstable climate on the Grand Line.

After rain, snow, thunder, lightning, sun, wind and all other forms of weather, they finally neared an island enough for it to stabilize. Zoro finally woke up as well.

"Ah, that was a good nap," he said while stretching. Looking around he saw everyone else lying on the deck as well. "Hey even if the weathers nice, it isn't good for all of us to be sleeping. What if we get lost?" he questioned, much to everyone's irritation. He then spotted the two agents and asked what they were doing.

"We're going to their town," answered Luffy.

"Don't tell me we're going to take them there? We don't have any reason to," complained Zoro.

"Yeah, we don't," replied Luffy._ 'Other than that Vivi is a nakama,'_ he thought to himself.

Zoro then went to question the two saying their names were familiar until Nami came and smacked him... a lot. He had bumps coming out of bumps by the end of it.

Nami told everyone they needed to be careful because they had just learned why the Grand Line was considered such a dangerous place. But at last they finally reached Whiskey Peak!

Vivi and Mr. 9 jumped up on the rail as soon as they got close to the island.

"Thanks for bringing us here. We have to go now," said Mr. 9

"We shall meet again if we are destined to," added Miss Wednesday.

"Oh, I'm sure we will, your highness," smirked Luffy just as they jumped off the ship.

After a couple of discussions about the Log Pose and islands in general, they came into the harbors to the cheers of all the townsfolk. They seemed to be happy that pirates were coming and congratulated them on making it across the Red Line. A large man with really curly hair, wearing a suit and carrying a saxophone stepped forward and identified himself as the mayor. He asked the pirates to party with them tonight.

_'Hmmm should I let them know it's a trap?'_ wondered Luffy for a moment. _'Nah, let's just party. They had pretty good food if I remember right. Besides Zoro will take care of it.'_

So the crew partied all day long and well into the night. Sanji was surrounded by women, for once, while Usopp had plenty of admirers. Nami won a drinking game to win money while Zoro pretended to pass out drunk. Luffy ate till he was stuffed, and then some more. Once his stomach was bulging, he also pretended to fall asleep. He focused on his Haki, observing that the bounty hunters were slowly leaving the bar and had gone outside to discuss what to do with them. He heard them shout about his bounty and how they should take him alive. _'Idiots. They didn't even tie any of us up.'_

He then sensed Zoro sneak out and climb unto a roof. One person came to check on them, but he quickly joined those asleep after a good dose of Conqueror's Haki. He waited a a little longer, listening to their talk about Baraque Works before Zoro started fighting all of them single handedly. Luffy then climbed out and jumped on top of a roof to watch the fight, remembering to take some more meat and a few drinks along.

Luffy sat on the roof chewing his meat slowly for once, as he watched Zoro dash around with a grin. Zoro would quickly dispatch the nearest enemies before ducking into a building or alley to avoid getting shot before popping out from somewhere else to cut down a few more. He seemed to be really enjoying himself, especially as he used one blade at a time so he could test the new ones. Having been satisfied with Yubashiri, he sheathed it and pulled out the Kitetsu blade.

Luffy could feel its aura even from the rooftop. He'd known from the start there was something odd about it, but only truly felt it once he had developed his Haki. Zoro had told him it was cursed, but he had mastered it to a point where he could control it.

The Zoro in this timeline still needed to apparently, as he watched him cut his enemies down. Usually Zoro would only aim to incapacitate his opponents unless he really had to kill them, but this time his blade wasn't held back. Luffy's observation was confirmed when he saw Zoro hold his shoulder and mutter at the blade in annoyance.

Luffa laughed when he saw Zoro throw the ladder down while it was still full of pursuers. He laughed harder when Zoro made a hole in the floor and causally walked away, warning the bounty hunters about it seconds before they fell in. _'Zoro's really enjoying himself,'_ grinned Luffy.

His laughing finally became loud enough to be heard by the agents when they commented on Zoro being taken down by some gorilla woman. The agents all looked at him with shock.

"You're awake too?" cried Mr. 9.

"Forget about me, you should pay attention to Zoro. You don't really think that was enough to defeat him do you?" chuckled Luffy.

All of a sudden they heard a scream and looked to where Zoro holding Miss Monday up with one hand, squeezing her head until she started foaming at the mouth and passed out.

Zoro taunted the agents while licking the blood off his face in an eerily fashion.

"The marines must've messed up on their intel!" yelled Igaram.

"Yeah this guy is definitely the one worth 50 million!" exclaimed Mr. 9.

"How can that weak looking kid be the captain?" questioned Vivi as she pointed at Luffy on the rooftop._ 'I don't like Baraque Vivi,'_ pouted Luffy.

"Ah, you're awake, Captain?" asked Zoro, finally noticing Luffy.

"Yeah. Nice show you put on," he answered, smirking devilishly.

"W-wait! Did he just call him captain?" asked Mr. 9. "Does that mean the marines were right after all? How strong is he then?"

"Strong enough to not have to deal with the likes of you," answered Zoro as he raised his blades.

"To think we lost this many men to one swordsman. How will we face the boss? It will ruin our reputation," said Igaram as he stepped forward and lifted his trumpet. When he blew on it, it fired like a shot gun and Zoro quickly rolled out the way. _'Wow, that's pretty cool,'_ thought Luffy. Mr 9 and Miss Wednesday went after him. They figured Luffy wouldn't step in after what Zoro had said.

"Oi, Zoro!" yelled Luffy, gaining his attention. "Don't kill the trumpet guy or the blue haired girl."

Zoro simply nodded in answer as he dealt with Mr. 9 while Vivi was having trouble with Carue.

He attacked the batsman until he fell of the roof and turned around to confront Vivi who did a seductive dance. _'Hmmm, didn't really think that was her style,'_ Luffy mused.

Zoro ignored the dance, but something worked on him to bring him to his knees. Luckily, Carue charged right past him and off the rooftop before Vivi could strike Zoro, leaving Luffy holding his stomach as he laughed.

Igaram managed to corner Zoro as Mr. 9 got back up. Vivi managed to 'sneak' up on Luffy, who sensed her coming, but let her anyway. She put a blade by his neck while he was still laughing and ordered Zoro to not move. Mr. 9 caught his wrist with a chain as Igaram pulled out small cannons from his hair.

"Sooo coooooool!" yelled Luffy, ignoring Vivi completely. "Well, maybe not the hair, but the cannons are nice," he added as Zoro pulled Mr. 9 in between himself and the cannons. Luffy then grabbed the sword Vivi was holding with one hand, while extending the other down to Zoro who grabbed it. Vivi tried to move the blade, but found it wouldn't even budge a millimeter. Luffy pulled Zoro into the air and Zoro used the back of his blade (making sure it wasn't Kitetsu) to knock out Igaram, tossing him into a few crates in the ground. He then went to join Luffy on the roof as Vivi let go of the sword and fell backwards, holding a hand over her mouth in shock. Unfortunately for her, she stumbled off the roof followed by a flailing Carue.

"What about her?" asked Zoro.

"Leave her," replied Luffy as he handed him a bottle to drink. Zoro just shrugged and accepted it. Luffy sensed Nami nearby and called her up.

"Thanks for distracting them, Zoro. I can't believe they only had this much treasure though," whined Nami as she held up a sack of loot. Zoro only grunted in response.

"Anyway, I'm surprised you saw through their ploy, Luffy."

"Oh, I saw through a lot more than that," Luffy teased, pointing at two new arrivals, a blonde woman with short hair and a man with an afro. They were confronting Igaram and Vivi about their true identities. "Zoro deal with the guy. Nami take care of the girl. Careful, they're both fruit users."

"Why do I always have to fight?" pouted Nami.

"Because you were mean and called me stupid," retorted Luffy as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Looks like they're fighting amongst themselves," pointed out Zoro who had been listening to the agents' conversation. "Leave them to it," Luffy shrugged as Igaram fired his shot gun.

"Go, Zoro. Don't let them get near Miss Wednesday," ordered Luffy. "Or the trumpet guy," he added as an afterthought.

Zoro sighed and chugged down the last of his bottle before throwing it at the blonde girl just as she was about to kick Vivi. She had to take a step back to avoid it, and Zoro took the opportunity to jump in between the two men.

"Hey Luffy, I've noticed you've been looking and talking a lot about the blue haired girl. Don't tell me your infatuated with her?" asked Nami suddenly.

"Eh? What's that, some kinda meat?" questioned Luffy causing her to sweat drop and face palm.

"Shishishi! Just kidding. No I'm not. But she does happen to be a princess in need of aid..." was all he said leaving the rest to Nami's imagination. It worked because he heard a sudden "ka-ching" that came from Nami's eyes transforming into Bellys. She quickly ran off to help the damsel in distress.

* * *

><p>"Ugh! I had to cut a booger! Gross!" grunted Zoro, holding his sword away from himself in disgust.<p>

"So you are the swordsman that wreaked havoc in this town. Why are you helping them?" questioned Mr. 5.

Igaram seemed to have the same line of thought. "Wh-why are you helping us?"

"Captain's orders," answered Zoro.

"What does your captain intend? Never mind, it doesn't matter. We'll just defeat you all," said Mr. 5 as he picked his nose for another booger.

* * *

><p>"Move!" yelled Nami as she tackled Vivi out of the way just in time to avoid a falling Miss Valentine. The umbrella wielding girl causally stepped out of the hole she had just made.<p>

"Damn! How much do you weigh?" asked Nami.

"I ate the Kilo Kilo no Mi which lets me change my weight between one and 10,000 kilos. Who are you?" she asked.

"Why are you helping me," questioned Vivi.

"Ah, that's right!" exclaimed Nami as she turned to her and took Vivi's hands in her own, her eyes shaped like Bellys once again. "You're a princess right? We'll protect you and escort you back to your land at a small, one time fee of just one billion Belly!" A tick mark appeared on Miss Valentine's temple, not taking well to being ignored.

"O-one b-b-billion?!" Vivi's jaw dropped. "I don't have that kind of money!"

"What? But you're a princess!" Nami riposted. Being royalty and not having money did not add up in her world view.

"B-but my country's in a civil war! We don't have money!"

"Nami, pay attention!" warned Luffy, getting her to dodge Miss Valentine's attack once more.

"Don't ignore me! I asked you a question," growled Miss Valentine.

"Luffy! She doesn't have any money!" pouted Nami, once again ignoring Miss Valentine.

"Protect her anyway. We'll iron out the details later."

"Stop ignoring me!" screeched Miss Valentine as she used her power to lighten herself and launch herself at Nami, aiming a kick at her head. Nami rolled out of the way and pulled out her staff.

"How am I supposed to fight a devil fruit user Luffy?"

"Punch her like you punch me," suggested Luffy.

Nami didn't get a chance to reply as an umbrella was thrust at her face which she blocked with her staff.

* * *

><p>Zoro dodged the booger, not wanting to have to cut it again. He rushed at the man, swinging Sandai Kitetsu down upon him.<p>

Mr. 5 dodged the blow at the loss of half his afro.

"You bastard! You cut my hair!" he roared as he aimed a punch sat Zoro's gut. Zoro brought the flat of his blades forward to block it, but was sent stumbling back due to the resulting explosion.

"What are you?"

"I ate the Bomu Bomu no Mi and became a bomb man," said Mr. 5 as he rushed at Zoro, fist raised. Zoro quickly sidestepped him and smashed his head in with the hilt of his sword, sending the man crashing through the wall of a nearby building.

"Tch. That was easy," he said and began walking away, leaving Igaram with his jaw on the floor.

"Th-that was one of the Officer Agents! And you, ma~ma~ma, knocked him away so easily!"

"Zoro! Don't turn your back on an enemy!" reprimanded Luffy who sensed Mr. 5 getting up with his Haki.

The man walked back out of the building holding a revolver. "I usually don't use this except as a last resort. However it should work well against a swordsman," declared the bomb-man as he pulled it open and blew in it before closing it again.

"A pistol? If I can cut snot bombs, I can cut bullets," said Zoro as took up a stance.

"This isn't any ordinary pistol. It's a special model from South Blue. It doesn't shoot bullets," said Mr. 5 before pulling the trigger multiple times. Not hearing the expected bang, Zoro raised a brow in confusion before being blown back from the initial explosion as the subsequent ones blasted him while in mid-air.

* * *

><p>Nami was being pushed back by Miss Valentine who used her abilities to change her speed in battle to confuse Nami. Nami jumped back, just barely avoiding the kick.<p>

"Help me Luffy!"

"Ehh... Don't feel like it," replied Luffy, chewing the last of his meat.

"Dammit Luffy! I can't beat her on my own!"

"Nami! Don't you ever say that again! No one in my crew is weak. Especially you! If you can't beat her with strength, use your brains! She has a devil fruit right? The best way to face devil fruit users is by using their ability against themselves!"

Nami was surprised by Luffy's words and it took her a while to focus on the last part. "Her ability? Oh I see!" yelled Nami as she dodged another kick. She then charged at the blonde, stopping just short of her as she crouched down and whipped a leg towards her shin. Miss Valentine easily jumped up, using her ability and umbrella to gain considerable height before changing her weight again and come plummeting down.

Nami smirked as she took a step out of the way, but brought the butt of her staff up, smashing it into the falling woman's chin. The added weight and speed sent Miss Valentine's head jerking back as loose teeth and blood sprayed out. The woman landed on her back, her weight creating a hole in the ground. At the same time a loud crack went through Nami's staff- it had splintered into tiny pieces.

"My staff!" shouted Nami, looking dismayed. However her expression turned into a grin at seeing her opponent knocked out. At least until she heard the girl groan in pain and start to stir. She decided to take Luffy's original advice and quickly went over to Miss Valentine before she could get up and started punching her until she was fully unconscious.

"Yes! I did it!" she yelled as Luffy smirked and Vivi back away a bit and looked at her as if she were a demon.

"Good work Nami!" Luffy praised, grinning proudly.

* * *

><p>Mr. 5 smirked as he blew over the mouth of his gun simply to follow protocol. He started to walk over to Igaram who looked distraught, but was stopped in his tracks as the smoke cleared to reveal Zoro still standing. He was a little bloody and bruised, but mostly just looked annoyed.<p>

"What?! How are you still standing after taking all my shots?" screamed the bomb-man in surprise.

"Hmph. I barely even felt that," Zoro sneered before charging at the man once more. Mr. 5 tried to shoot at him again, but Zoro sliced down through the pistol before bringing the blade back up in the same fluid motion. Only this time it came up through Mr. 5's chest. The man gasped, releasing a shaky breath before collapsing face down.

Luffy jumped down from the roof to join his friends now that the battle was over, smirking all the while. After a pat on the back for Zoro and another congratulatory word for Nami, he walked over to Vivi who was sitting on her behind and looking at the trio in utter bewilderment. He offered her a comforting smile and extend his hand to help her up on to her feet.

"So, Miss Princess, how would you like to employ the Straw Hat Pirates to protect and escort you to your country?"

"Wait!" shouted Igaram, running over with his hair cannons armed and pointed at Luffy. "How do you know who we are!"

"I heard the booger guy say who you are, Captain of Alabasta's Royal Guard."

Igaram bristled; shock, anger and confusion evident on his bloodied face.

"And what would you gain from helping us? Her highness has already told you we can't afford such a price!"

Luffy ignored him and tried to walk past him, but Igaram quickly stepped in his way, fingers at the ready. "I will negotiate with the princess, not her guard. Move," he ordered, but the older man remained motionless other than to flinch back a bit.

"It's fine Igaram, they did save us after all. What do you want," Vivi asked politely as she stepped forward.

"A billion Belly!" yelled Nami.

"I'm sorry, but as I said my country is engaged in a civil war and we cannot afford such an amount," replied Vivi as she went on to explain her countries situation and why she was in Baraque Works. Nami sighed as she realized that she wouldn't get her money. Luffy inquired who the boss of the company was and Vivi said it'd be better for them notto know, but accidentally let it slip that it was Corcodile the Shichibukai, leaving them all shocked. The group than noticed a strange otter and vulture fly off. Nami tried to run away but they made a picture of the trio's faces, leaving Nami severely depressed as she cried in a corner.

Igaram, who had shortly disappeared to somewhere, then returned, wearing feminine clothes and asked the crew to escort Vivi while he went a different direction as a decoy. He warned them that Crocodile's bounty was 80 million before he became a Shichibukai. To Nami's dismay, Luffy readily agreed, shrugging the warning off. Igaram then asked for an Eternal Pose from Vivi while Nami asked what that was. Once Igaram explained it, she pulled out the one Luffy had told her to buy from Louge Town.

"Like this one? So it'll take us to an island?" asked Nami, pulling out a Log Pose like compass except that it was incased on the top and bottom with columns along the side. They name of the island was written on the bottom.

"Yeah, we're going to go there soon. I had you buy it to make sure we don't miss the island," replied Luffy.

Luffy ordered Nami to take Vivi to the ship so she wouldn't have to see Igaram get blown up (Luffy decided not to step in since it would've meant having to fight Robin and the guy came out alive anyway). He also ordered Zoro to go and get the two sleeping idiots. Miss Monday and Mr. 9 also turned up, having been eavesdropping for a while now. They insisted to come along to help protect their friend and Luffy allowed them to.

Once everyone was on the ship (Usopp and Sanji having suffered several bruises from Nami), they heard a huge explosion coming from the direction Igaram had gone.

"Damn they already got him!" shouted Zoro as Vivi watched in horrified silence.

"No, he's still alive," said Luffy. "I can hear him."

"What do you mean?" demanded Vivi.

"Er, well I have an ability that lets me sense people's presence so trust me, he's still alive," comforted Luffy. "Now let's get out of here while we can!"

* * *

><p>AN: I was not planning on having this chapter out until tomorrow, even though I had it half done already. I was gonna take a break today and went to watch a couple movies with a friend. But then I came home and saw the story had reached 100 reviews. So I decided to finish it and put it up as a thank you for all my reviewers. So thanks guys! Hope you like the chapter, even though I ended it here XD<p>

But that's just because I want to make the Robin part perfect and I have a few ideas and still need to decide which one would be the best.

If you're wondering why Zoro took longer to beat Mr. 5 here than in the manga, that's because he was already serious and fighting Luffy in the manga. Here he didn't start of as serious and Mr. 5 used his pistol.

Yes Luffy learned Geppo (though he refers to it by Sanji's name). No he won't learn all 6 of the techniques. The only reason why I gave him Soru and Geppo is because even though he's already OP, Luffy is the kind of person that refuses to stop improving and getting stronger. The one way I could think of that was by giving him some new techniques.

Thanks for the support and keep reviewing guys (and girls of course. I just say guys to mean both) :p Have a great day/night!


	10. Insignificant Changes,

Chapter 10 - Insignificant Changes,

The boat was sailing through the fog and everyone was focused in guiding the boat. No one noticed the huge smirk on Luffy's face, nor the reason behind it.

_'Robin... I missed you. But looks like I'll have to wait a little longer before you join us,'_ thought Luffy.

"Be careful not to hit the rocks on the right," said a voice.

"You can count on me!" replied Nami before looking around confused. "Was that you, Luffy?"

"No, that was our guest. How are you doing, my lovely lady?" asked Luffy with mock politeness. He turned around just as the boat sailed out of the fog and saw Robin sitting on the upper deck's railing, wearing a cowboy hat and revealing clothes.

* * *

><p><em>Robin saving him from the quicksand. "Why do you fight? All of you who carry the name of D?"<em>

_Robin leaning against the wall, having given up on life. "I'm tired of this life. All I wanted was to know the true history. But my dream has to many enemies..."_

_Robin casually walking out of their ship's cabin and pulling up a lawn chair to sit on. "Monkey D Luffy. You didn't forget what you did, did you? Now you must take responsibility. Let me join your crew."_

_Robin crying as she watched them burn down the flag. "I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME OUT TO THE SEA WITH YOU!"_

_Robin reaching her hand out in desperation as she was sent flying by Kuma. "Luffy!"_

_Robin's crushed body lying under the bloody ruins._

* * *

><p>Robin ignored the rest of the overreacting crew, instead watching curiously as the teen grinned at her, almost as if he was truly happy to see her. She became even more confused when his eyes clouded over and his smile faltered as if he'd remembered a terrible memory, like the ones she remembered.<p>

Luffy shook his head, clearing it as he looked back at Robin and his smile returned. 'Man, she had a completely different aura back here,' he thought. His grin grew as he noticed his panicked friends, especially the ex-Baroque Workers.

"I ran into Mr. 8 a while ago, Miss Wednesday," said Robin as she smirked cruelly.

"Did you kill Igaram?!" questioned Vivi as the other two ex-members backed up slowly.

"Calm down Vivi, I told you he's alive. Isn't that right Miss All-Sunday, or should I call you by your real name?"

"Oh? You think you know my name?" replied Miss All-Sunday with a raised brow.

"Of course. But I suppose we can stick with code names for now. Would you care to join us for lunch?"

"Luffy! This woman is Crocodile's partner!" Vivi protested hotly.

"I know. But she's not here to hurt us."

"Correct, I am not under any orders at the moment. I just stopped by to point out the futility of your actions. A princess that thinks she can survive and save her country from Baraque Works. It is quite ridiculous," Robin pointed out in a mockingly polite tone.

"Stop insulting me!" cried Vivi.

All of a sudden she was surrounded by Sanji and Usopp pointing a pistol and slingshot at her while Zoro drew his sword.

"Do you get what's going on?" asked Usopp who had only received Nami's 'summary' of the night.

"No, but I can see she's a threat to the beautiful Miss Wednesday," replied Sanji.

Luffy watched with amusement as both of them were thrown over the rail though Robin didn't visibly move.

"Don't point such dangerous things at me," she warned.

"What the..." wondered Zoro as he was easily disarmed.

"It's a devil fruit!" exclaimed Nami.

"Wow, she's actually really beautiful!" yelled Sanji as he got a clear view.

"Calm down guys. I said she's a guest, don't attack her. And please don't aggravate my other guest," Luffy said turning back to Robin. "Now about that lunch, Miss All-Sunday?"

"I thank you for your hospitality, but I must refuse," replied Robin. She then used her powers to throw Luffy's hat up and caught it, twirling it on her finger before putting it over her own hat.

"So you're Monkey D. Luffy, the captain, correct? The strongest man in East Blue, they say."

Luffy suddenly disappeared from sight, only to appear behind her as he grabbed both hats off her head. "Oh, I'm the strongest man in more than just East Blue. Also for future reference, only my crew and a select few are allowed to touch my hat. So until you earn that privilege, please refrain from doing so," grinned Luffy down at her as she turned around with a shocked expression on her face. Luffy almost burst out laughing at how easily he'd gotten through her composure. But she quickly regained it as she smiled back at him.

"Impressive. But even so, you have bad luck - to pick up our target and go against Baroque Works' 2000 employees with only a handful of members. But really your worst luck is in the route you have chosen. The name of the next island is Little Garden. Even if we decide to do nothing, you will perish at there," said Robin as she pulled out an Eternal Pose and tossed it to Vivi.

However Luffy used Soru again to get in front of, her and caught the object, crushing it in his hand. "I'm sorry, but you can only have a say in the course we take once you're a member of our crew. Until then, we will follow our own path," said Luffy as he tossed her hat back to her, emphasizing 'until then'.

"Really, that's a pity. I don't mind people with a spirit like yours. If you survive, we might meet again," she said as she put her hat back on and turned to walk away.

"Oh, we definitely will," grinned Luffy causing her to halt for a second and look back at him before she jumped off the ship. She landed on a giant turtle which started swimming away from them at a surprisingly fast speed.

After she was gone, Vivi fell to her knees. "I don't understand that woman," she groaned.

"Don't misjudge her Vivi. She's not a bad person," said Luffy as the rest looked at him in confusion.

"How can you say that?!" yelled Vivi. "She's Crocodiles partner!"

"So what? You were one of his officers a while ago. She must have her reasons. But I can tell she's not a bad person. Just look at her eyes," he replied as he walked off. "Sanji! I want some meat!"

"Wait what's going on here? What are all these people doing here and what's up with the duck?" asked Usopp, but everyone ignored him as they sailed on. They enjoyed drinks made by Sanji and after their daily training they all relaxed around the deck, fishing or sleeping. At first Vivi was worried that they were taking it too easy but Nami convinced her that it was okay since they would become dependable when there was an emergency, but there was no need to be stressed until then. So Vivi also began to wind down with the crew and enjoy herself.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, you shitty rubber!" yelled Sanji as he kicked Luffy's head.<p>

Luffy sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and trying to forget the latest nightmare. He saw Sanji looking at him with a mixture of concern and annoyance. He also saw Mr. 9 (who was bunking with the boys while Miss Monday shared the room with Vivi and Nami) looking at him with a creeped out expression.

"You could've woken up the ladies."

"Ah, sorry," muttered Luffy. He hated the nightmares, but he hated his nakama waking up because of that even more. He got up and started to go out on to the deck as was his routine after waking up when he had a nightmare. Usually his friends let him go without saying anything and went back to sleep. This time, however, Sanji stepped in front of him before he could leave.

"Why don't you just tell us what's bothering you?" asked Sanji as he lit a cigarette and tried to ignore the burning glare he got from the idiot Marimo.

Luffy looked at the light from the cigarette blankly for a while before replying. "I lost some friends a long time ago," he muttered before walking past him and out on to the deck. He walked over to Merry's figurehead and laid down on his special seat, ignoring the wave from Usopp who was on watch.

"Hey Merry, how are you doing? Sorry I always come bug you in the middle of the night," he whispered to the sheep. Whenever he had a nightmare, he would come up and spend the rest of the night on Merry's head, whispering to her or telling her the stories of his first journey. He'd already told her about all the crew members he would soon have as well as his brothers. Sometimes he used to time to plan what he should do during the upcoming events, but mostly he just told her about the adventures they'd been through. He always made sure no one was close enough to hear him.

"What do you want to hear about tonight, Merry? Oh, tomorrow we'll probably see the giants! They're soooo cooooool! Can you believe they've been fighting for a hundred years? We'll have to see that annoying three too. Bleh! I'll have to deal with him before he tries to harm the giants this time."

Luffy continued confiding in Merry until he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning after breakfast, the crew were training as the ex-Baroque members and Luffy watched on in amusement.<p>

"Luffy we've been at this for weeks and I still can't feel any Haki!" complained Nami as she hit Usopp harder in frustration.

"Naturally. Haki is harder to obtain than just through this exercise. I'd be surprised if you guys had developed it already."

"Then why are we still doing this?"

"Because it builds the foundation you need. This helps improve your senses which are a must for observational Haki as well as helping with your reaction time and speed. Not to mention the pain tolerance from being hit so much. All of those will help in a fight, and once you and Usopp start dodging most of the hits, we'll move on to the next stage," explained Luffy as Vivi and the other two listened curiously.

"What about those two," asked Usopp, pointing to Sanji who was happily swinging with all his might trying to hit Zoro.

Luffy shrugged before replying. "Those two should be able to unlock it through battle by then, but we'll see. Anyway I told you guys I'd start adding to your training as we progressed. From now on, I want you guys to start training extra. Usopp can start doing weight training with Zoro. Zoro, do you have any weights light enough for him?"

"Not right now."

"Okay then Usopp just scratch something up until then. Also make Nami a new weapon which she will practice with. Nami you're going to increase your stamina by running around the deck. Zoro and Sanji will start sparring with me," continued Luffy, causing both of them to look up eagerly.

"I also have a new move to teach you, Sanji. But only on one condition."

"What's that," asked Sanji.

"I'll teach you as long as you don't let the training interfere with your cooking time. I still want my meat!" declared Luffy.

Sanji's single, swirled eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "Tch, should've seen that coming. What's the move?"

"Have you ever dreamed of flying?"

"Flying? Sure, hasn't everyone? Why?

"Because you're going to start training for something called 'Sky Walk'. I picked it up recently but I haven't gotten a good hang of it yet so I can only do this much," said Luffy as he jumped and started kicking below him and rose into the air. The crew, Vivi, Mr. 9, Miss Monday, and even Carue stared in disbelief. Luffy was flying in the air! Luffy stayed like that for about half a minute, moving around the ship because he couldn't use it to stay stationary yet, until he kicked too hard and lost balance, falling down on to the deck.

"W-wow," whispered Vivi and Nami in awe.

"What the hell are you?" screamed Mr. 9.

"I can learn that?" asked Sanji, expression a mixture of wonder and incredulity.

"Yeah, but it'll take a long while. For now I want you to start swimming for an hour everyday alongside the ship using only your legs. That'll help strengthen them as well as let you learn 'Blue Walk' which should be easier than Sky Walk. I also have something for Zoro," said Luffy as he turned to the swordsman.

"You'll have to spend longer weight training though, because I don't want you to cut back on the one you're doing currently. But from now on you'll need to start training your legs as well. I'm going to teach you Soru after you've strengthened them."

"What's Soru?" asked Zoro, looking eager to learn it.

"It's when I move like this," replied Luffy as he suddenly disappeared from sight, coming up behind Zoro with a punch aimed at his head. Because of the continuous practice with Sanji, Zoro was able to evade it just barely.

"Good," smirked Luffy.

The crew finished their Haki training and Usopp went to work on Nami's new weapon. Sanji and Zoro left to due their individual training as Nami was running around the deck, sweating. The three ex-Baroque members watched them work, impressed by their strength and devotion. At least until Luffy made them start running around as well.

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon when they finally arrived at Little Garden.<p>

"I'm worried about what Miss All-Sunday said," muttered Vivi.

"Will there be monsters here?" asked Usopp.

"I don't know, but we need to restock since we didn't buy any food from the last town," said Sanji.

"What was that?" yelled Nami.

"Probably that gecko thing," replied Luffy, pointing at a weird looking lizard with feathers and talons.

They then heard a volcano explosion followed by a bleeding tiger walking out of the jungle just before falling to the ground.

Nami was thoroughly spooked now while Usopp developed his 'if-I-step-on-this-island-I-die' disease. Mr. 9 and Miss Monday were hugging each other, looking ready to faint at the next sound.

"Ok listen up guys! First things first! Sanji I want a pirate's lunchbox! Second, this island is full of dinosaurs!" Luffy instructed.

"Dinosaurs?!" Screamed Usopp, Nami, and the two Baroque agents.

"I can also sense some people which are most likely Baroque Agents! Let's go deal with them and then we can go adventure!" Luffy continued, ignoring the weaker member's horrified faces.

"Baroque Works is here too?" whined Nami.

"Well, it's to be expected. They knew where we were heading. I recognize two of them are from the last island though."

"The bomb and weight ones?" questioned Zoro.

"Yeah. Now let's go!" yelled Luffy.

After Sanji had finished the lunch boxes, they all set out through the jungle. Nami and Usopp kept glancing around and jumping at every noise while Luffy was singing silly songs. Once he sensed they were close to the enemy base he put of his hand to signal the group to stop. They inched closer until they could see a large wax box in the middle of a clearing in the forest. They could hear people talking inside. Luffy told them to wait a while and Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine came out, closing the door behind them. Luffy knocked them out with Haki and stepped into the clearing, followed by the rest.

"Oi, you shitty bastard! Why'd you knock the lady out!" cried Sanji as he kicked Luffy in the back of the head.

"Because otherwise she would've crushed you," replied Luffy, rubbing his head.

"A pretty lady like her can crush me whenever she wants!" declared Sanji as he wiggled around thinking about it, earning him blank looks from everyone.

"Wish she did. At least then we wouldn't have to deal with you anymore, Ero Cook," grumbled Zoro.

"What was that, Marimo?" spat Sanji, raising a leg in warning.

"Shut up you idiots! We're right in front of the enemy base!" yelled Nami loudly, as she punched both of them over the head.

"You were the loudest one, Nami," deadpanned Luffy.

"What the hell is all this commotion out here?" yelled a nerdy looking character as he opened the door to the wax building and stepped out. He was wearing glasses and had tied his hair into a three. He looked around at the group and then at the bodies of Mr. 5 and his partner. "Ah, you must be the Straw Hats. Well this certainly makes things easier."

"It does, doesn't it?" smiled Luffy.

"That's Mr. 3!" gasped Vivi. "He ate the Doru Doru no Mi!"

"Ah, aren't you Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9? And Miss Monday I believe?" Mr. 3 smiled as he stepped out of his establishment followed by a small girl. She had her hair in pony tails and wore a pink hat. "How foolish of you two to betray our organization."

"That's Miss Golden Week! She can hypnotize with colo-" Vivi trailed off as Miss Golden Week also collapsed unceremoniously.

"What are you doing Miss Goldenweek?!" yelled Mr. 3.

"She has an annoying power so I knocked her out. Sanji, Zoro take care of Three. The rest of you stand back."

"He looks like an idiot," complained Zoro as he unsheathed his blade.

"He is an idiot", replied Luffy. "But he has a good devil fruit."

"Sit back idiot cook, I'll deal with this. Nitoryu: Sai Kuru!" yelled Zoro as he held up two of his blades up and started spinning towards Mr. 3.

"Candle Shield!" countered Mr. 3 as he used his powers to create a shield between him and Zoro. Zoro's swords smashed against it and sent sparks flying as Zoro slowed down from his spin, looking astonished.

"I can't cut it?"

"Hahaha! My wax is as strong as steel!" gloated Mr. 3 before using his powers once again. "Doru Doru Arts: Tsuchi!" he said as he sent a hammer head flying at Zoro. Zoro crossed his swords in front of him to block it, but still slid back a few feet.

"Tch, shitty swords man. You can't even touch him," sneered Sanji.

"What'd you say Dartbrow?"

"I said you're useless!"

"Don't make me kill you!"

"Candle Lock!" yelled Mr. 3 as he used his wax powers to seal Zoro's legs. "You should not fight amongst yourselves when there is an enemy in front of you."

Zoro started trying to slice the wax off his legs while Sanji extinguished his cigarette and stepped forward.

"Let me show you how it's really done," he smirked.

"Shut up, idiot cook."

"Candle Lock!" said Mr. 3 again as he threw his wax at Sanji who dodged it by sidestepping out of the way.

"Selle!" yelled Sanji as he aimed a kick at Mr. 3's lower back, making him stumble forward followed up by a "Épaule!" to his shoulder which sent the wax man crashing into a tree.

"What's so hard about that Marimo?" asked Sanji gleefully.

"Shut up! I'll slice you!" shouted Zoro as he was still trying to slice the wax off.

Just then Mr. 3 stood up again holding his shoulder. "Tch, looks like I underestimated you brats. I didn't want to use this on a no name punk like you," sneered Mr. 3 as wax started coming out all over his body until it was formed into a large suit of armor with boxing gloves. "Candle Champion! I took down a pirate worth 42 million with this!"

"Soo coooool!" Luffy shouted with stars in his eyes as Usopp hit him on the head.

"This isn't the time for that!"

Sanji ran to a tree near the champion, using it to jump up high and aimed a kick at Mr. 3's exposed head. "Mouton Shot!"

The champion brought up one glove to block the kick, causing Sanji to grimace in pain as he kicked the steel-hard wax. The other glove shot out and smashed into his chest, sending him flying into Zoro.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot cook?" barked the swordsman.

"Shut up, shitty swordsman. You didn't even get a single hit on him.", the cook retorted, sounding winded.

Luffy then stepped forward and raised a blacked hand. "Armament. Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" he said as he punched the wax between Zoro's legs, smashing it to dust and causing Mr. 3 to look on in shock. "You two need to work together to beat him. So stop arguing with yourselves!" ordered Luffy.

After a bit more grumbling and glares at one another, both got up and faced Mr. 3's Champion.

"Even if you all work together, you cannot defeat me! Champ Fight: Oraga Hatake!" yelled Mr. 3 as he charged at the duo swinging his fists. They both jumped out of the way and attacked him from either side.

"Santoryu: Oni Giri!" yelled Zoro as he struck at the armors side. The attack left three paper thin scratches, but was unable to get through the tough material.

"Gigot!" shouted Sanji as he ran at the contraption and aimed a kick at its leg only to jump back and shake his leg in pain. This was getting him nowhere: He had to change tactics and fast.

"Dammit! How do you damage this thing?" asked Zoro.

"Hahaha! You idiots can never defeat me with this!" gloated Mr. 3 as he launched another barrage of punches. Since his attention was split between the two of them, they easily evaded all the attacks.

"I already told you two how to," said Luffy in annoyance as he picked his nose.

"How?" demanded Sanji.

"Work together," repeated Luffy.

"Tch, we are, you idiot!"

Just then they heard a large eruption from the volcano.

"Ah! Hey Usopp, if you climb up that tree you'll see something amazing!" said Luffy as he started climbing up the largest tree nearby, leaving the two to fight Mr. 3.

"Eh? Really?" asked Usopp as he started to follow his captain. Not confident that Zoro or Sanji could figure out how to beat Mr. 3, the other four started climbing as well.

Once at the top of the tree, they found a good branch to sit on and looked around for what Luffy was talking about. They spotted two giants rushing towards each other. Nami, Vivi, Mr. 9 and Miss Monday almost fell off the tree from shock as Luffy and Usopp stared in awe.

"Wh-what the hell are they?" questioned Nami.

"Giants," replied Luffy, grinning, dark eyes glued to the mighty figures.

The group watched their deadly battle with jaws dropped. They could feel the wind blast all the way from here whenever the two behemoths clashed their weapons against each other. The fight lasted only a short time and ended in a draw with both giants laughing before they headed back in the direction they came from.

"W-wow!" whispered Usopp in awe. "That was amazing!"

* * *

><p>Back on the ground, Zoro and Sanji were bickering and throwing insults at each other as they dodged the attacks thrown at them and tried to figure out what Luffy had meant.<p>

"How about we both attack at the same time?" suggested Sanji. Zoro grunted in agreement and the two rushed the wax man from the front. They both aimed at the only weak spot which was the face, but both were blocked by a separate glove.

"Give up! I told you, you can't defeat me!" roared Mr. 3.

"Dammit! How can wax be so hard?" asked Sanji as he rubbed his foot.

"My swords barely scratch it," growled Zoro.

The two suddenly looked at each other before simultaneously yelling "That's it!" They looked around once more to make sure no one was nearby to watch them before charging in at Mr. 3. Using the reflexes gained through their training, they evaded the punches and stepped in close to the large armor.

"Tora Gari!"

"Flanchet Shoot!"

They both attacked at the same spot before having to jump back as Mr. 3 tried to stomp them. They ran in again and again attacking the same place.

"How long are you going to do the same thing before you realize you can't hurt me? Just stay still so I can stomp you!" roared Mr. 3 as he tried to hit them. The duo ignored him as they ran in again, only this time Sanji ran around to the back.

"Tatsu Maki!" yelled Zoro has he spun in a circle to create a tornado that lifted the giant contraption of the ground slightly and forced Mr. 3 to lean back.

"Anti-Manner Kick Course!" shouted Sanji as he kicked straight up, sending the armor flying even higher. He then followed it by jumping up high. "Reception!" yelled Sanji as he hooked his leg around the top of the wax suit adding his force to gravity's to send Mr. 3 back down to Zoro.

"Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai" growled Zoro as he launched his strongest attack to the spot he and Sanji had already weakened by attacking multiple times. The steel hard armor cracked at the spot and broke apart as the wind was blown out of Mr. 3 and he was sent flying. Sanji landed beside Zoro, grunting at the pain in his leg.

"Dammit! How could you break my Champion!" screamed Mr. 3 as he stumbled back up, already preparing wax in his hand for an attack. The armor took the brunt of the attack, so he was mostly unharmed. However, he paused as soon as he saw the look on the two pirates' faces. They glared at him in anger as they slowly walked toward him, daring him to attack. Mr. 3 gulped before launching the wax. Except now he didn't use it to attack.

"Candle Wall!" he shouted before turning around and running.

"Nice, Zoro, Sanji! You broke his armor!" observed Luffy as he climbed down the tree. "Usopp, finish him off!"

"Got it! Sanren Kayaku Boshi!" yelled Usopp as he launched three exploding stars at Mr. 3's back. They all hit simultaneously and sent him flying through the forest as the ex-Baroque members looked on, amazed.

"Yosh! Now we can move on to the fun stuff!" declared Luffy. He told Usopp that they should go see the giants. When Nami protested, he insisted that they wouldn't hurt them. So Usopp, Nami, Vivi, Carue went to see the giants with Miss Monday and Mr. 9 as body guards against the dangers of the jungle. Sanji told Zoro to go hunt so they could restock before leaving the island, but it turned into a contest and the two went to find the biggest game. Luffy went into Mr. 3's base and waited for the call he knew was coming.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of waiting, the Den Den Mushi finally rang. Luffy picked it up and spoke before the person on the other side could.<p>

"Yo, Crocodile," he greeted in a calm, clear voice. The other line went silent for a moment.

"Who the hell is this?" growled Crocodile.

"Monkey D Luffy, future Pirate King."

A pause, shorter than the last one.

"Ah, the rookie from East Blue that is escorting the princess. It seems you have defeated Mr. 3."

"Nah, I wouldn't bother with someone as weak as him. My crew took care of him.", Luffy elaborated, leaning back in the chair and crossing one leg over the other lazily.

"I see," drawled Crocodile.

"I have a few things to tell you, so listen up. First, Vivi is my nakama. I won't let you hurt her. Second, from now on, Alabasta is under my protection. Third, I'm going to kick your ass."

Luffy knew the Shichibukai wouldn't take the threat as seriously as he should.

"Kuhahahaha! Who the hell do you think you're speaking to?"

"An idiot."

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Worthless brat! I'm one of the Shichibukai! Yet a mere rookie from the weakest sea dares to threaten me?! Do you know h-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," interrupted Luffy. "I don't have time to listen to your ranting. I want to have a party. Just remember what I said. See ya later, alligator," said Luffy hanging up before the Shichibukai could reply.

As he got up, he sensed something approaching the base. He looked at the window to see the Unluckies fly in. Upon seeing him, they pulled out there weapons. Before they even had a chance to attack, Luffy knocked them out with Haki. They fell to the floor and an Eternal Pose rolled out. Luffy picked it up, stuffed it in his pockets and left to join his friends.

* * *

><p>"Who the hell does he think he is?!" roared Crocodile as he crushed the transponder in his hand.<p>

Miss All-Sunday was sitting across the room from the Shichibukai, petting a large Bananawani. She had listened in to the conversation and had turned around and bit her lip to stop herself from bursting into laughter. As enraged as Crocodile was, it would mean certain death if she allowed even a single giggle through.

Taking a few deep breaths and calming down a bit, he mumbled to himself. "Under his protection eh? We'll see about that. Miss All-Sunday!" he said turning to her. "Send Mr. 2 to intercept the pirates. He is not to engage them, only to obtain a full analysis of their crew. Call the other agents and tell them to gather in Alabasta. We will be proceeding ahead of schedule," he ordered, smirking evilly.

* * *

><p>Zoro emerged into an open clearing, dragging a huge triceratops behind him. He took a few steps before stopping and looking around. He scratched the back of his head and scowled when he didn't see the Going Merry.<p>

"Dammit! Did those idiots move the ship? I was sure it was this way. And why the hell is it too hot on this island?" he complained. He took off his shirt and slung it over his shoulder before continuing with his search for the ship.

* * *

><p>The crew spent the rest of the day at the island, partying with the giants. Luffy didn't tell them about his talk with Crocodile or about the Eternal Pose. Sanji and Zoro (who had 'found' the crew) argued over whose dinosaur was bigger. Usopp and Mr. 9 listened to the Giant's stories in awe and Usopp decided he wanted to be just like them and to go to Elbaf one day.<p>

The girls drank the drinks Sanji had made them and relaxed. They got to see another fight before they had to leave. They set sail just before sunset. The giants warned them to go straight, which they obeyed until a giant goldfish appeared. Nami and the ex-Baroque workers freaked out and told them to turn around. Surprisingly it was Usopp who said to keep going forward even though his knees were shaking. They went straight into the goldfish's mouth. The giants then launched huge flying attacks that broke their weapons and split the fish into pieces.

"Yosh! Set sail to Drum Island!"

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the late update, it took me a while to figure out how to write the conversations and the fight with Mr. 3.<p>

I also have some bad news and some good news.

Bad news is that my college starts tomorrow so I will no longer be able to update as frequently. I will try my best to update once a week, but with five classes and a lab, I won't promise anything. I can update quicker if you guys prefer shorter chapters, but personally I like doing a chapter per island.

Good news is that I got an amazing Beta, SerenePhenix. She's already done the first two chapters and they're now a lot better than before. Made me realize that I make a lot more mistakes than I thought as well as that I need a lot of improvement in my writing. You don't have to read them again because the plot is the same, but the content is better. I can't thank her enough because she's doing it only out of the kindness of her heart. Make sure to check out her stories and shoot her a thank you. I've only read the One Piece ones, but they're great.

Also I keep forgetting to do it, but thank you to all the anonymous reviewers since I can't thank you personally.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review and have a wonderful day/night!

P.S. You guys are going to love what I'm planning for the next chapter ;)


	11. Unintended Consequences!

Chapter 11 - Unintended Consequences

Tashigi was in her room, admiring the new blade she had obtained by defeating some strange fellow who had called himself Mr. 11. The blade was one of the 50 Ryo Wazamano blades, Kashu. It was as beautiful as its blade was sharp.

"Tashigi, come here and listen," called Smoker. Tashigi however was too focused on her new prized possession and didn't pay attention to the gruff marine's voice.

"Tashigi! Didn't you hear me? How long are you going to play with that stupid sword?" roared Smoker, finally getting through to her.

She dropped the sword and rushed out of the room in a panic. "What is it captain? Do you want some coffee?"

Smoker ignored her as he called over another marine. "Listen to this. We just intercepted it a while ago," said Smoker as the marine held up his hand to show a black Den Den Mushi on his wrist.

"Bzzpt.. Crocodile.. Bzzpt... Bzzpt.. Pirate King... Bzzpt.. rookie.. East.. Bzzpt.. Defe-d Mr. 3... Bzzpt.. crew... Bzzpt.. Tell-ou... Bzzpt.. Vivi my naka... Bzzpt... Alabasta.. Bzzpt... protection... kick -r ass... Bzzpt...Bzzpt.. idiot.. Bzzpt.. Shichibukai... Bzzpt.. Bzzpt... Bzzpt.. party... Bzzpt alligator."

"Crocodile? Pirate King?" wondered Tashigi, looking confused. Just what was going on?

"We were too far from the source to pick it up clearly, but there are a few important words. Crocodile, Pirate King, rookie, Mr. 3, Vivi, Alabasta and Shichibukai."

"Mr. 3? Maybe that's linked to that Mr. 11 guy we caught earlier," suggested Tashigi, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

"It's probably a code name. Have someone question him. What I'm more interested in are Crocodile and this rookie. I recognize the voice and there's only one rookie from the East who would have the balls to call himself pirate king. Monkey D Luffy," growled Smoker. He still was sore about his failure at Logue Town.

"But what were they talking about?" asked Tashigi. Though she was not stupid she still could not grasp the meaning behind those few words. In all honesty it could mean just about anything.

"He said Crocodile, Vivi, and Alabasta. The other voice said Shichibukai. Vivi was the princess of Alabasta that disappeared and Crocodile is based in that country right now. Straw Hat was either talking about Crocodile or to Crocodile. Is he planning to cause some kind of turmoil there? Either way, our destination is set. Contact the main base and have them send us an eternal pose for Alabasta!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p>"Listen up everyone! One day I'm going to Elbaf!" declared Usopp loudly as the ship sailed away from the remains of the dead goldfish.<p>

"Yeah let's go to the home of the giants!" cheered Luffy as he joined Usopp and they started dancing around. 'I can't wait to go there again. It was so fun!' thought Luffy nostalgically. He remembered too well how his friend's eyes had shown the morning they had set foot on its beach.

"Luffy, I need to talk to you," said Nami as she beckoned him into her room. Luffy looked confused, but followed her in.

"What's wrong, Nami? You're not feeling sick are you?" he asked worriedly._ 'She didn't take off her clothes this time so she shouldn't have been bit,'_ he thought , frowning in confusion.

"No I'm fine. It's about Vivi. Why are we going to Drum Island instead of Alabasta? She doesn't want to say it, but I can see that's what she's thinking about. We should go to Alabasta as soon as we can," she explained as she pulled out a newspaper from her drawer and threw it to Luffy. "I got this a few days ago. I didn't tell her because I don't want her to worry, but we really need to hurry." for a moment she went quiet, "It's getting out of hand."

Luffy read the part about half of the Royal Army defecting over to the Rebels' side of the war. The civil war in Alabasta was becoming very serious. A million people were involved in it, not to mention all the civilians that would likely be hurt.

"Nami, Drum Island has the best doctors. We need to go there to recruit one," Luffy said carefully, after having read the article.

"But can't we go after we solve the issue with Alabasta? The sooner we get there the better. We can always go to Drum later because we have the eternal pose," his navigator argued. To her, this whole detour did not make any sense. It was difficult comprehending his motives.

Luffy was silent as he contemplated her suggestion. Last time they barely made it to Alabasta on time and several lives were lost due to the war already starting, adding to Vivi's burden and sadness. They could go to Alabasta first and then get Chopper. But what if one of them got hurt in their fight? Most of the crew had suffered severe injuries after the fights with the Shichibukai's men. They needed the little reindeer doctor to heal them. But Vivi would be upset as well, if she knew Luffy was hiding the eternal pose to Alabasta and instead went to Drum, when her home was facing such peril.

Just what sh-

Luffy was shaken out of his thoughts as a scream ripped through the calm that had previously settled over the ship. It sounded like Vivi. He rushed out of the door followed by Nami.

"What's going on?" he demanded. His eyes widened as he saw what caused Vivi to scream.

"It's Mister Bushido! He suddenly collapsed while lifting his weights!" answered Vivi. Next to her, the swordsman lay panting on the deck, his face red and hot.

"No..." whispered Luffy, too low for anyone to hear. The rest of the crew as well as the Baroque Workers ran towards Zoro asking what was wrong. Vivi told them to carry him to a bed and Sanji obliged. Luffy stood petrified, eyes wide with horror. He followed into the room and heard Vivi surmise it was probably a fever caused by the Grand Line's rapid change in climate.

"No," Luffy whispered again but no one heard him.

"What? The shitty swordsman can't even handle the weather?" sneered Sanji unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"No matter how strong the pirate, many die because of the weather change."

"No," said Luffy a little louder.

"Even if it's just a cold you can die from it if not treated properly. Is there anyone with medical knowledge aboard?" asked Vivi. Usopp and Sanji pointed to Nami, she herself somewhat overwhelmed by the situation at hand.

"I-I only know a little bit! I don't know how to cure a sickness!" she protested and raised her hands up in front of her.

"No," said Luffy, again. This time, his muttering did not go unnoticed though.

"What are you talking about?" asked Usopp. He looked at the rubberman who was still standing in the door and started frowning. Luffy was staring at Zoro in horror. It was the same look he got when he woke up from a really bad night mare.

"No!" Luffy yelled in frustration.

"What's wrong Luffy?" asked Nami as the rest of them turned to look at him as well. They started at the sight of the shaken and pale rubber captain.

"No! This wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't supposed to go like this!" screamed Luffy as he stepped forward, parting the small crowd and lifted Zoro's shirt up. There on the side of his abdomen was a large red bruise. The one Nami had told him about years ago.

"No! This wasn't supposed to happen!" he repeated, like a broken record.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" asked the crew again, voices filled with worry now. Never had they seen him this afraid.

"No, no, no! How could I let this happen?" he screamed as he fell back and clutched his head, tears coming into his eyes. "Zoro's going to die!"

"W-what?!" screamed the rest of the crew, mouths flying open in shock.

"Isn't he just sick?" Sanji asked, confused.

"What the hell are you talking about, Luffy?" groaned Zoro as he regained consciousness. "Why the hell would I die from a little fever?"

"Z-Zoro?" asked Luffy, lifting his head to look at his swordsman, teary eyes looking at the swordsman like a lost soul.

"I promised, didn't I? I won't lose to anything until I'm the best," the swordsman panted as he tried to get out of bed just to prove his point.

"You shouldn't get up!" protested Vivi instantly at his side to stop him from doing something maybe more reckless than just sitting up.

"I'm fine," grumbled Zoro as he tried to hide is pain. Nami and the princess however forced him to lay down, a testimony to how much this illness was getting to him. Since he was burning up, so Sanji left the room, mumbling something about chicken soup. Luffy was still on the floor seemingly unable or not willing to move.

"It's a good thing we're headed to Drum Island," said Vivi. "The island is renowned for their doctors. We should get there as soon as possible, before Mr. Bushido's fever gets any worse."

"I'll make sure we do," reassured Nami as she put a cold towel, she'd prepared over Zoro's head. The swordsman had fallen asleep again, grumbling the entire time about being perfectly fine. As if he could fool anyone with that.

Luffy quietly left the cabin, ignoring the worried questions and glances. He went to lay on Merry's head, hiding his face with his hat. He lay there until it was night. The only ones still awake were Nami and Sanji, who were still guiding the ship towards the island but they did not dare ask Luffy anymore if something was wrong. All the answers they got were absolute silence and they had retreated to the kitchen.

"Merry... I messed up," he whispered after a while, caressing the sheep head absentmindedly. "This wasn't supposed to happen. What if something else goes wrong? How could I forget to tell them about the sickness? It's all my fault. It was always my fault," Luffy muttered bitterly as a few tearsescaped his eyes, landing on the painted wood.

"Not.. fault.. cap'n.." he barely heard the voice but instantly sat up, looking around for the source. It was so soft he thought he had imagined it.

"It's not... fault... Captain," said the voice again, louder this time, but still soft and sweet and musical, like a merry little girl.

Luffy looked around again before suddenly a memory assaulted him.

Snow was gently falling, becoming one with the sea. The Going Merry, their home, standing in flames as they saw her off, not wanting her to be alone even in her final moments.

And that same sweet voice apologizing. That same sweet voice thanking them as they cried for their dying comrade.

"Thank you, for always having taken care of me!"

His gaze settled in the figurehead. "Merry?" he asked voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," came the voice, getting clearer every time it spoke, as if the memory had strengthened its presence. "It's wasn't your fault, Captain."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't your fault that they died," said Merry. "You did the best you could, and no one could've done better."

"B-but..", Luffy mumbled, at a loss. How could she understand, when she hadn't been there?

"You defeated a Yonko and a Fleet Admiral and more even though you were all already injured from the previous battles. It wasn't your fault, Captain," reassured Merry.

"Yes it was! If I was just stronger, I could've protected them!" protested Luffy, not fazed by the ships sudden knowledge.

"You did your best and they wouldn't have asked for more. They would never blame you, Captain."

"How do you know? You weren't even there!" said Luffy, instantly regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. "Sorry Merry..."

"I know because you told me about all of it. I know it wasn't your fault, none of it.", she said knowingly. Of course she knew. Of course she understood - because she listened. Because she was there for her nakama.

"But I couldn't save anyone! Not even you!", he said miserably.

"But it's not your fault. I wasn't made to be strong enough to go all the way, but I'm happy to be able to sail with you for as long as I can. And from what I've seen and what you've told me, they are too. No one would ever blame you, captain. Everyone must die one day, and I speak for the crew when I say that all of us would want to do it by your side."

"But I don't want that!" Luffy protested heatedly. "I want you all to live!"

"Yet you don't care about sacrificing your own life for everyone else. Why is it wrong if they do it for you?", the voice retorted, never losing any of its calm.

"Because I'm the captain! It's my job!", Luffy's fist balled till his knuckles turned white. He refrained from hitting anything, otherwise it'd just hurt his precious nakama.

"No, it goes both ways, Captain. While you are our captain and you protect us, we are your crew and we must protect you as well. We choose to be with you and to face anything that comes our way so we can stay with you. No one would mind dying for that."

"B-but.."

"It wasn't your fault last time, and it isn't your fault that Zoro got sick this time."

"But that wasn't even supposed to happen! I thought I could change the future to make it easier for them, but I messed up! What if we can't save him, or what if I do something stupid later that makes everything worse?!"

"Trust in your crew, Captain. Zoro is strong enough to endure it. Nami will sail me there in time. Chopper will cure him."

Luffy was silent as he thought over what Merry said. It was like a weight off his shoulders to know that someone thought it wasn't his fault. That happy realization was soon clouded by dark thoughts. "What if I do something worse in the future? What if I change it even more and something worse than this happens?"

He heard Merry giggling, making him blink at the figurehead in surprise. "When have you ever been so cautious or worried about the future, Captain? It doesn't suit you. You can't predict what will happen. You can only do what you think is right and try your best. After that, believe in your crew. You've been given a second chance for a reason. It was to change what will happen. There's no point in worrying about what will happen any more than there was the first time."

"You're right, Merry," smiled Luffy. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Captain," the smile in that voice was palpable.

Luffy laid back on the figurehead and slept better than he had in a long time.

* * *

><p>Since Nami wasn't sick, they sailed throughout the night and arrived at the winter island just after dawn. Luffy sat on the figure head, anxiously waiting to get there. Using his haki he sensed a sleeping guard hidden up in a tree.<p>

The crew had already donned their winter clothing as they had neared the island, except for Luffy. The crew docked the shop and Mr. 9 and Miss Monday were left behind to guard it.

As they were about to get off the ship, Luffy finally felt cold and ran to get his winter clothes. Nami had shopped for the entire crew back in Logue Town since Luffy had asked her to. They were all wearing various fur coats*, ranging from bears to wolves. Luffy pulled out his fur coat which was from a black wolf. It was skinned in a way that the wolf's head fell over his own to form the hood. Luffy also wore black pants with a silver chain on either side of them. Only his straw hat (on top of the wolf's head), yellow sash, and sandals remained the same. Luffy ignored Zoro's grumblings as he lifted the man on to his back and the crew set off to find the nearest town.

The trip was uneventful other than Zoro's curses. As they neared the town, a sleepy sentry quickly called out an alarm and a small militia force quickly gathered outside the gates. The only one who appeared fully alert was Dalton, a heavy man with a large nose and an oar-shaped spade sling over his back.

"Stop right there! What do you kids want?" asked the man warily, eyeing Luffy's wolf head.

"Our friend is sick. Please, can you take us to the doctor?" asked Luffy, as friendly as he could under these circumstances.

The large man eyed Zoro who had fallen asleep by now. A look of compassion crossed his face briefly before one of his guards interjected.

"Sir, they might be trying to trick us! It could be a plot to lower our guard before they attack!"

Unfortunately just then, the guard that had been sleeping by the shore came running.

"Pirates! There's a pirate ship docked here! The Jolly Roger wears a straw hat!" shouted the man at the top of his lungs as he ran to Dalton's side and tried to catch his breath. Dalton looked suspiciously at Luffy's straw hat.

"You guys are pirates?" he growled.

"Yes, but we aren't here to raid you. We only want to see a doctor."

"They're lying! I knew it was a trick!" shouted the solider from before as he aimed his gun at Luffy. Luffy sent a haki packed glare his way, causing the man to fall unconscious before he could do anything.

"We are pirates, and we can easily crush all of you. But I said that's not what we are here for," said Luffy, ignoring he gasps of shock from the other soldiers, the anger rolling off of Dalton, and his own crew mates worried glances. He carefully set Zoro down on the snowy ground before bowing his head. "My friend is hurt, and we need a doctor. Please help us."

Dalton looked at the young boy for a moment, his eyes widening momentarily as they met Luffy's. He was surprised to see such eyes on such a young man. Those eyes were the most contrasting thing he had ever seen. They were filled with deep rooted grief, but an unshakable determination, with the gentleness of a small child, yet the fierceness of a wild beast, lingering just beneath it all, waiting to be let loose. He stared for a moment longer before he nodded his head and turned toward the town.

"Follow me, but let me tell you one thing. We only have one doctor on this island and she's a witch," he called over his shoulder. Luffy split into a grin along with his crew as he picked up the sleeping swordsman again and followed after the man. He slowed down a bit to let Vivi catch up to him.

"Thanks Vivi," he whispered before walking ahead, leaving the princess confused.

Dalton took them to his house where they let Zoro rest on a bed. Dalton made them tea as he explained about Dr. Kureha who was a pirate-like 140 year old witch who lived in a castle at the top of a mountain. She would only come down when she wanted to and after curing her patient, she would take whatever she wanted from them. The most interesting however was how she supposedly flew down the mountain on a sled and lived with a weird creature. Luffy had to hold himself back from yelling at Dalton for calling Chopper weird.

The only thing that kept Luffy from going out to join Usopp and play in the snow was the worry from having messed up what was supposed to happen. He didn't want to take more chances, and immediately declared that he would take Zoro on a hike to the witch as soon as Dalton finished his explanation.

"Are you crazy?" asked Nami smacking him upside the head for suggesting something so stupid. Oh, if only she knew…

"It's fine, I'll carry him."

"But it can make him get worse!" shouted Vivi, as scandalized as her friend.

"Hmph. I already told you guys this is nothing. Let's go Luffy," said Zoro as he got out of bed even as sick as he was.

"Shishishi! Hop on, Zoro!" grinned Luffy as he offered him his back.

"Look at the mountain! It's too steep to climb!" Vivi added, scared for her friends' wellbeing.

"Nah, I can do it," argued Luffy as Usopp, who had come back in, tied Zoro to his back.

"I don't think I can stop you now, but may I suggest that you go around the mountain? This side is full of Lapan, a carnivorous rabbit. If you run into a pack of them, you won't survive," informed Dalton as he watched the teenagers argue.

"It's fine, I can handle it. But come with me for a while. I want to ask you a favor. You guys stay here and continue your training!" Luffy ordered as he started to walk towards the mountain.

Dalton looked confused, but he followed after him. Once they were far enough from the house and its grounds, Luffy finally spoke up.

"We met the old king of this kingdom on the sea," he informed, causing Dalton's face to contort with shock and then anger.

"He will probably come here soon, but don't fight him. If you do, your men will get hurt," continued Luffy before Dalton could utter a protest. "Just evacuate your town and let him do what he wants. He'll come up to the castle and I will deal with him there." Zoro listened in silence from Luffy's back.

Dalton was silent for a moment as he thought it over. "I'm sorry, but I can't just stand by and let that tyrant come back. I appreciate your help, but it doesn't involve you. I will deal with him myself," growled the large man.

"Sanji alone could wipe out your entire town," Luffy commented, the shadow of his coat falling over his eyes. That man needed to understand how outmatched he was.

"Are you threatening me brat?" asked Dalton as his eyes narrowed.

"No. Usually I hate getting into other people's fights, but this involves my crew too. If you want to fight him then fine, but you will lose," said Luffy coldly, loosing time and with it his patience. "Fight him, but at least send the townspeople away or they will get hurt. Tell my crew that I told them to not fight him either."

"What business do you have with him?", he finally inquired, intrigued by the youth in front of him.

"I don't really remember, actually. Anyway, see ya later old man and thanks!" Luffy bowed out as he ran on ahead.

"You did it again," Zoro mumbled once they were out of earshot.

"Did what?" asked Luffy feigning innocence.

"Knowing stuff you shouldn't know. I don't remember us meeting that guy on the sea."

"Shishishi! I told you not to worry about that stuff, Zoro. I promise I'll tell you everything once the time is right."

Just then, a small rabbit punched at Luffy who easily dodged it. It continued to do so even when both pirates ignored it and continued conversing over random things, such as how people living in snowy places don't sleep or how swimming in ice cold water was a sign of a man's willpower.

Finally the baby Lapan got annoyed from being ignored and went to call its parents. The large beasts looked like a mix between a polar bear and arabbit. They were quite fast and powerful compared to normal animals, but Luffy had no problem dodging their attacks and continuing onward. Zorowas so bored by it that he went back to sleep.

The Lapans then climbed to a large cliff and stared jumping up and down to create an avalanche. Luffy remembered that he owed them from last time so he didn't stop them. At first Luffy wanted to use Sky Walk to get away from it, but he couldn't do it so well with Zoro on his back. Instead he just used his Devil Fruit powers to stretch over to a large rock that stuck out of the ground. The duo hid there until the avalanche ended and continued on their way. Once again Luffy found the large Lapan, and rescued it, much to the beast's shock.

Luffy then reached the base of the mountain and started climbing up. He used haki to protect his hands and feet as he climbed. He almost slipped once, but quickly used his Sky Walk to find a good handhold nearby. Thinking back to it, how again did he manage to get up on that mountain the last time without freezing to death? Thank Nami for the warm coat!

_'Finally I can see Chopper! I really missed him. And he can fix up Zoro,'_ thought Luffy as he reached the top of the cliff. He clambered over and rushed into the castle to get Zoro out of the cold.

"Oi! Cho- er Witch Doctor Lady!" shouted Luffy as he walked in through the open doors. "I need your help!"

He frowned as he didn't hear anything. His frown turned into a look of horror as he used his haki to find out that no one was inside the castle.

_'Wh-what? Chopper is supposed to be here! This shouldn't be happening!'_ thought Luffy in dread.

"What's wrong?" grumbled Zoro having woken up after sensing his captain's distress.

"They're not here..." Luffy whispered hoarsely. He ignored Zoro muttering how he was fine and could wait for the doctor as he tried to figure out what to do.

_'Ok, calm down. Chopper probably went down to one of the towns to see their patients. We can wait for him here, he'll definitely come back soon,'_ reasoned Luffy. But just to be sure, he extended his observational haki as far as he could to locate the reindeer. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped to the floor as he suddenly sensed a very powerful and familiar aura. Right next to his crew's.

* * *

><p>"How the hell does he plan to climb a mountain?" Nami mused as the crew waited outside Dalton's house. Luckily, it had stopped snowing. Their hosthad gone inside after leaving them confused over Luffy's message.<p>

"Don't question an idiot, Nami-chawn," Sanji advised.

"I hope they'll be okay," whispered Vivi, looking towards the mountain with worry.

"They'll be fine, Vivi. You haven't seen Luffy's power yet, he's beyond a monster!" assured Usopp. "And Zoro is pretty strong too."

"There is no use in worrying over them," sighed Nami. "Let's go get something to eat."

They all agreed and started walking toward the local restaurant. They walked inside to see everyone crowded around one individual sitting at the bar. Everyone looked worried and there was a muttering about someone having died from the cold.

The crew looked curiously at the man in question and were surprised to find that the people were probably right with their assumptions. Some idiot was sitting there bare-chested and only wearing shorts and a black hat. A black cloak was laying on the back of his chair. He had fallen dead face first into his food. Usopp and the girls shivered at the thought of dying from frostbite and Sanji scowled from seeing the man die before eating.

As much as he felt sorry for the idiot dying, he still wasted food.

"That mark...!" gasped Nami as she identified the large tattoo covering the man's back

One particularly large and brave lady worked up the courage to tap the body. To everyone's astonishment the "corpse" bolted up in its chair before looking around dazedly.

"Wheew, man, I fell asleep again!" exclaimed the black haired man as he adjusted his orange cowboy hat, causing the room's occupants to scream in shock. The stranger ignored them and suddenly turned around to the large lady next to him and used her shirt to wipe his face clean before turning back to his meal. He didn't get the bite to his mouth however as he sensed an angry aura behind him and quickly turned around to block a kick aimed at his head.

"You shitty bastard! First you waste food and then you treat a lady like that?" growled Sanji, his anger only growing when the man easily blocked his kick with a single hand.

"No, Sanji! Don't fight that man!" cried Nami fearfully. The cook had no idea what he was getting himself into.

However it was too late as flames licked around Sanji's boot, causing everyone's eyes to go wide and Sanji to jump back to stomp the flames out. The other occupants all quickly moved away from the two fighters.

"Oh? You have the guts to take me on? Don't you know who I am?" asked the man in a conceited manner, a sly grin showing on his freckled face.

"I don't give a shit! I'm going to teach you some manners!" roared Sanji as he raised his foot again.

"Teach me manners? You're the one who interrupted my meal!" growled man as he closed his fist except his middle and index fingers which he aimed at Sanji, holding his hand as if it were a pistol.

"Higan," said the freckled man as fire erupted from his fingers and shot out at Sanji. The cook barely dodged it in time and the fire bullet soared past him and nearly hit Nami, causing her to shriek.

"You bastard! You almost hit Nami-chan!" Sanji screamed as fire danced in his eyes.

"Sanji, don't fight him! He's from the Whitebeard Pirates!" Nami ordered. "Let's get out of here!"

"Whitebeard Pirates?" asked Sanji in shock. It bought Usopp enough time to pull him away and out of the shop. However the man followed after them, causally tossing a ball of fire up and down in his hand.

"Oh, so you think you can interrupt my meal, and then get away once you realize I'm from the Whitebeard's? I don't think so! Shinkai: Shiranui!" roared the Whitebeard pirate as the ball of flames turned into a long lance and was thrown at Sanji.

"Sanren Kaen Boshi!" shouted Usopp as he launched three flame stars to intercept the burning lance. It worked and caused a small explosion.

"Usopp! Get Nami-chan and Vivi-san out of here!" Sanji ordered as he used the opportunity to dash through the black smoke and aim a kick at the smirking man's face. "Mutton shot!"

The man didn't even move as Sanji's leg passed right through his head, splitting it apart only for it to be reformed by flames.

"Tch. What the hell are you?" asked Sanji as he tried to extinguish the flame on his foot.

"I'm Ace. I ate the Mera Mera no Mi and became a fire man."

"Don't firemen put out flames?" wondered Vivi.

"Fine, let's see how you like you're own medicine then!" yelled Sanji as he kicked Ace with his still flaming foot. This time the attack connected and sent the man stumbling back a few steps.

"Using my own flames against me. That's a first," complimented the fire user as he regained his balance.

"Hmph, as if a cook would be afraid of a measly fire," scoffed Sanji.

"Measly, eh? Alright, let's see you try this on for size," Ace smirked as a large fireball formed in his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Cliffhanger! I always wanted to do that xD I hate it when I used to run into one of these, but now I finally see why authors do them so much. It's quite fun XD

**Special Thanks for my wonderful Beta SerenePhenix! I'm sure you guys noticed the better quality of this chapter, and that is all thanks to her :p**

Anyway, sorry for the slow updates, but like I said I have to deal with college now.

Last chapter I said you guys would love this one. Did I live up to any of the expectations that might've been created from that? :p

Also, just so everything is clear, Luffy and the gang arrived early on Drum Island for a few reasons. First, they were sailing for it originally since they had an eternal pose. Second, Nami didn't get sick so they sailed through the night. And third because they didn't run into Wapol on the way (since they ran into him the first time because they headed to Alabasta first and then changed course).

I know, I know, Ace was supposed to be in another town. But let's just say that some subconscious feeling brought him to this town since Luffy was here at the same time this time and they're so connected and stuff. That works right? Well I doubt you guys will complain xD

Hope you enjoyed it and have a great week! Don't forget to review! I want to see this story on the first page of top reviews :p Thanks in advance!

Special thanks for Blueh who recommended my story on one of his. You guys should also check out his, they're great! Especially Shattered and Unexpected Emergencies!

***** I'm very against buying fur clothing. I only put that part in for the story and because in the old days it wasn't as bad, which I perceive if the timeline of the One Piece World. Now a days however, they mistreat the animals horribly and do all sorts of horrible things that if I went into detail about, it'd making you puke. So please don't support the fur industry.


	12. I'm Your Friend!

Chapter 12 – I'm Your Friend!

The crew's eyes widened and Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth as they watched Ace's fist catch fire and expand. The fire user grinned at their reaction and prepared to incinerate them for underestimating a Whitebeard pirate (and for disturbing his lunch).

Ace readied his attack, bringing his fist back to swing at them, enjoying the looks of terror he received.

"Oi, oi, oi! You d-don't wanna fight with us!" stammered Usopp as he put his hands up and backed away. "Do you know who our captain is? I-if you hurt us, Luffy will beat you to a pulp!"

Ace quickly held back his flaming fist, but kept it on fire just in case. "Did you just say Luffy?"

Nami gasped as she suddenly remembered something. "Ah, that's right! Did you say you were Ace?"

Before Ace could answer, the sound of a Den Den Mushi cut in. "Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru."

They all turned to look at Sanji since the sound was coming from his coat. He never stopped glaring at Ace as he pulled out his baby Den Den Mushi and picked it up.

"Ace! What the hell are you doing?! Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, you guys alright?" questioned Luffy's lound andannoyed voice.

"We're fine, Luffy," answered Nami.

"Eeeehhhhhh? Luffy?" questioned Ace as his jaw dropped.

"Put your damn flames away! That's my crew you're about to fry!" shouted Luffy.

"Oh... Um sorry?" said the still shocked Ace as he quenched his flames.

"Who the hell is that, Luffy?" growled Sanji.

"Ah, that's my big brother Ace."

"Eh?! Your brother?" screamed Usopp and Sanji.

"Haha, sorry Luffy, I didn't know these were your guys. But figures, only you would have a crew of idiots that aren't afraid to take on Whitebeard's Second Division Commander," smirked Ace.

"Eh?! S-s-second D-division Commander!" gasped Usopp, looking like he was about to faint.

"Shishishi! They're pretty good right?"

"Eh, they're not too bad. Anyway, where are you Luffy?" questioned Ace as he looked around, expecting his brother to pop up out of nowhere.

"I'm at the top of the mountain. One of my crew is sick and we're waiting for the doctor."

"What? You came to the Grand Line without a doctor?" screamed Ace as he snatched the baby Mushi from a perplexed Sanji. "What the hell are you thinking? Wait, hold on that reminds me. What the hell did you do to get such a high first bounty? Why did the papers say you took on all the big shots in East Blue?" inquired Ace angrily.

"Um... Because I did?"

"Why, you idiot? You could've gotten yourself killed!" shouted Ace, leaving the crew and Vivi to look about one overly-concerned brother. "That fish guy you took out used to sail with Jinbe, the Shichibukai!"

"Eh?! Really?" gasped Nami.

"It's not like I had a choice! They got in my way," pouted Luffy across the line.

"Idiot! Do you know how worried I was when I read the papers?"

"Worried about what?" asked Sanji, confused. It's not like any of them had been match for Luffy. Surely, growing up with Luffy, Ace had to know that.

"Which mountain are you on, Luffy?" asked Ace ignoring the cook and looking up at the drum shaped mountains. "I'll meet you there."

"No wait, I have some business I need to take care of here. Do me a favor and go with my crew to the next town. I'll see you later, after we get a doctor."

"What? You don't wanna see your big brother?" yelled Ace.

"I do, but you'll mess up my whole plan. By the way, no one eat any reindeers, okay? See ya later, guys!" said Luffy as he hung up and the snail went back to sleep.

"Tch. Stupid little brother," mumbled Ace before turning back to the crew and adopting an overly polite manner. "I'm very sorry for the... misunderstanding just now. But thanks for taking care of my brother! He must've been quite a handful."

"Yeah, he's an idiot," replied Sanji.

"Wow, he's actually pretty polite," Nami pointed out.

"Purupurupuru," rang the snail again.

"Hey guys, sorry I forgot to say something earlier. Ace can you leave for a bit, I need to talk to my crew," said Luffy after Sanji picked up the snail.

Ace looked confused and a bit annoyed, but he complied. Once he was far enough, Sanji asked Luffy what he wanted to tell them.

"Don't tell Ace anything about my powers or that I know Haki or anything, okay? He doesn't know how strong I really am and I don't want him to know yet. In fact, for future reference, don't tell anyone unless I say it's okay," instructed Luffy.

"How come he doesn't know? And what's the big deal anyway?" asked Usopp, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Because otherwise everything will be ruined," came the cryptic answer before Luffy hung up.

The group continued to get acquainted after Ace rejoined them and they started walking to the next town. They were joined by the rest of the confused townsfolk and Dalton who looked extremely annoyed.

* * *

><p>"Man, I guess we're really early if we ran into Ace this soon. I can't wait to see him!" cheered Luffy after he hung up.<p>

"What was going down there?" mumbled Zoro from the bed Luffy had laid him on.

"I don't really know but I was using Haki to try to find Cho- er, the doctor and then I sensed Ace using his power and fighting with everyone down there."

Zoro had to hold back from chuckling since it hurt his chest. "From the way you were shouting, it sounded like curly brows got his ass kicked."

"Shishishi! Yeah he would've been fried! Ace is too strong for any of you guys right now," replied Luffy causing Zoro to scowl at the thought of losing to Ace. "Besides, he's a Logia and unless you have Haki you can't touch him."

"Why didn't you want him to know you have Haki though? Probably wouldn't be as worried if he knew."

"Nah, he'd be more worried. It's almost impossible to learn Haki outside the Grand Line. And he'd be pissed that I'm stronger than him, shishishi!"

"How'd you learn it then?" questioned Zoro.

"Ah, that reminds me, I still have to find the doctor, he should be here soon" said Luffy, quickly changing the subject and causing Zoro to roll his eyes.

Luffy once again used his Haki to look for the little reindeer and was thrilled when he 'found' him in midair headed for the castle.

"He's on his way," smirked Luffy.

"You know, you really suck at hiding things," muttered Zoro.

Luffy looked at him owlishly.

"What do you mean?"

"We were told the doctor was an old witch, but you said 'he'. Besides, I don't think even Haki can help you find someone you've never met."

Luffy looked shocked for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Shishishi, you're right. Well since you already know, then let me tell you a secret. We're finally getting a doctor."

"Does rubber make you psychic or something?"

"Shishishi! Nope, I'm just awesome like that," grinned Luffy. His grin only grew when he sensed the two figures walking in through the open doors. "They're here. I should go show myself before that old witch starts throwing things at me again for sneaking in to 'her' castle," said Luffy as he got up from the chair and walked out into the corridor.

From the second floor balcony he spotted the old witch and the little reindeer carrying a sled loaded with supplies.

* * *

><p><em>So tired. So hungry. Wait is that a deer? "MEAT! Come back here!"<em>

_Wait, that deer could transform and talk. "It's a monster!" _'SOOO COOOOL!'

_It didn't matter whether he was a monster or what. He was cool. So he was joining the crew. End of story. "Shuuuuutt uuuuuuppppp! Let's go!"_

_How many times would he or the others have been dead from their injuries if it wasn't for Chopper? He really was the best doctor. "Shut up you assholes! That doesn't make me happy at all!"_

_Chopper's huge body was an easy target for all the battleships as they fired on him at once. Hundreds of cannon balls tore the monster down, leaving him a bloody battered mound of fur._

* * *

><p>Luffy shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he called down to the pair. "Hey! Are you the doctor? We need help!"<p>

Dr. Kureha and Chopper looked up in surprise, not having expected anyone to be in there. "What the hell are you doing in my castle, brat?" asked Kureha as she lifted her sunglasses to glare at Luffy.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were out and I needed to get medical help immediately! So please ol-," Luffy bit back what he was about to say, remembering how sensitive the old lady was about her age. "Please help me, young lady!"

Chopper's jaw dropped as Kureha chuckled. "My my, you sure know how your away around women, eh?" she asked, causing Zoro to sweat drop inside the room as he overheard them. "Let's go Chopper."

The two quickly climbed the stairs as Luffy led them to Zoro. He explained what the problem was and the doctors began working on it as he was kicked out the room. He pouted and walked around the castle for the next half-hour, keeping track of the island with his Haki. He smirked as he sensed the fat bucket chin guy dock on the island.

Kureha came out of the room and informed Luffy that Zoro would be fine after a few days' rest, to his utter relief. 'Can't let things like this happen again,' he thought.

Luffy burst into a smile as he saw Chopper walk out as well and immediately ran towards him, freaking the reindeer out. Chopper yelled and started running away from him.

"Wait! Chopper!" shouted Luffy as he ran after him for the next few hours.

* * *

><p>Zoro woke up with a groan to see the old lady checking up on him again. He would've been awake the entire time if he hadn't been completely surprised to find that the doctors was an incredibly old witch and a tanuki and pointed out the fact. A foot and fist to the face was apparently a wonderful anesthetic.<p>

"Oh? You're up already? Better not get out of bed if you want that fever to die down," informed Kureha.

"Tch. What about my training, ol-" he stopped himself from completing his sentence as soon as he saw the glare in the witch's eyes.

"You're not allowed to get out of bed let alone train. Doctor's orders."

"Tch. Whatever. I hope you're not our new doctor. One witch is already bad en-"

BANG! Another foot to the face. _'Damn, she kicks harder than that stupid cook!'_ thought Zoro.

"Watch your mouth, brat. And why the hell would I join your crew?"

"Never mind. It's the tanuki."

"Oh, you guys want to recruit Chopper? Good luck with that," sneered the doctor.

"Don't need luck. Captain already said it was gonna happen."

"Oh?" asked Kureha, raising an eyebrow.

Just then the door to the room crashed open revealing a panting and sweating Chopper who ran to hide behind doctor Kureha. Luffy followed in shortly after, the huge grin in his face made even larger by the two sticks sticking from his nose to his mouth.

"Join my crew already Chopper! Oh, Zoro! You're up! Thanks for all the help, old lady!" yelled Luffy, forgetting to not call Kureha old in his excitement. Zoro and Chopper sweat dropped as they saw her take out a knife from nowhere and chuck it at him.

"Why you little brat! What happened to the young lady?" She screamed in rage as she got out of her chair and started chasing Luffy back down the hallway with knifes and other sharp objects. Zoro started cracking up at the sight of his captain being chased by an old witch.

"You still have a fever! Lay down!" ordered Chopper as Zoro started coughing.

"Eh, I'm fine now."

"No! You still need some rest. Doctorina's medicine is strong so you're fever is almost gone, but the bacteria are still there. You need an injection and more rest."

"I'll be fine, I already slept it off," grumbled Zoro. "But thanks."

"Huh?"

"Thanks for taking care of me," said Zoro, smiling at the reindeer.

"Shut up! I don't need any gratitude from you, jerk!" Chopper riposted while dancing, looking quite happy and causing Zoro to sweat drop.

"You suck at hiding your feelings. Why does Luffy always recruit weirdos?" mumbled Zoro.

"Ah, that guy was saying you're pirates! Is that true?" The question was quiet but the little reindeer's eyes were unmistakably shining with barely concealed excitement.

"Yeah, we're the Straw Hat pirates."

"Do you have a flag?"

"What kind of pirates wouldn't have a flag?" asked Zoro. "So you're our new doctor, huh?"

"Don't be stupid! I never agreed to that!" yelled Chopper, backing away into the bookshelf.

"Just give it up. Once Captain says you're joining, that's pretty much your first order."

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm a reindeer! How could I live with humans?" yelled chopper, suddenly looking mad.

"Aren't you already living with that old witch? She's a human," pointed out Zoro.

"Shut up! Don't talk bad about Doctorina!"

"Whatever. Anyway it'd be good for me too, if you came with us. I wouldn't have to waste time here if we had a doctor."

"But aren't you afraid of me? I'm a reindeer, but I can talk and walk on two legs and I have a blue nose!"

"So what? That's not any weirder than an idiot love cook with dartboards for eyebrows or a finger-for-a-nose lair. Not to mention that damn money-hungry witch," replied Zoro. "Hell, you don't even come close to our Captain. He's a monster."

For some reason the reindeer looked like he'd been hit with a hammer.

"A mons-" just then the door crashed open again as Luffy rushed in still being chased by Kureha.

"Ah! There you are Chopper! Let me show you something awesome!"

"Aaaahhh!" screamed Chopper as he ran away from Luffy.

"I told you it wouldn't be so easy to recruit him," said Kureha as she walked into the room and took a seat. "He has a wound that not even a doctor can heal."

"Hmm?" asked Zoro. Kureha then proceeded to tell him Chopper's story about how he was abandoned by his herd for having a blue nose and chased of my humans that called him a monster. Zoro listened quietly to the whole story.

"Can you cure his heart?" Kureha mused after she had finished.

"Hmph. I'll leave that to Luffy." grunted Zoro.

* * *

><p>"Stop running away Chopper!" pouted Luffy as he chased him down the stairs.<p>

"No way! Get aw-" suddenly Chopper skid to a stop, sniffing at the air, his fur bristling. "This smell... It's Wapol!" he said as he transformed into a full reindeer and ran to Kureha followed by Luffy. "Doctorine! Wapol is back!" he yelled.

"Is that so?" she replied as she got up and walked down to the castle entrance along with Chopper. Luffy told Zoro to wait there for them and followed after the doctors.

Outside, Wapol stood with his hippo and two cronies. They had been surprised to find the town empty and had left their troops there. Wapol was raging about the flag currently flying from his castle. Luffy looked up and grinned at the sight of Chopper's flag, a skull and crossbones with sakura petals floating around them.

"Where's the Drum Kingdom's flag?" yelled the fat tin man.

"I've already burnt that one," answered Dr. Kureha nonchalantly.

"It's you! The last doctor left on this island. What are you doing in my castle?"

"This castle is Hilruk's tomb. It's not yours anymore. Drum Kingdom as already fallen. Get outta here."

"That stupid doctor's tomb! Ha! That's not even funny!" screamed Wapol causing Chopper's face to darken. Luffy noticed and clenched his fist in anger.

"Why don't you just shut up, bucket face? This is Chopper's place now," he shouted making Chopper look at him in surprise.

"What? Who the hell are you brat. Don't you know I'm the king of this island? You dare talk to me like that?" Sneered Wapol.

"That's right you filthy commoner," yelled his weird looking men.

"From what I've seen you're hardly fit to be a king of a toy castle let alone this island," retorted Luffy, stretching his cheeks and sticking out his tongue mockingly, leaving Chopper wide jawed at his ability.

"What? I'll kill all of you and tear down that stupid flag! Then we'll see who's King!"

"I won't let you touch that flag!" roared Chopper as he turned into his human form.

"Ah! It's that monster!" screamed Chess.

"How dare you use our castle as a cemetery? You'll be the first to die Dr. Kureha!" yelled Korumarimo as he threw some nasty fuzz ball at her which she easily dodged.

Chess then readied an arrow to shoot, but was charged at by Chopper. Wapol intercepted him by opening his mouth wide and chomping on Chopper.

"Hey! You can't do that to my doctor!" yelled Luffy as he punched him, making him cough up Chopper and flying back. He would've flown off the mountain if it weren't for the hippo standing behind him which stopped his flight at the cost of its own.

"Thanks! You're pretty strong!" commented Chopper.

"Heh, you haven't seen anything yet!"

Meanwhile Wapol got back up and told Chess to list all he had eaten today. After the unhealthy list which extended from cannons to houses, Wapol started to transform into a house cannon thingy.

"Ehhhh... That's not as cool as Franky," drawled Luffy.

"Now let me show you my real power!" said Wapol as he ate his minions only to have them come out... sitting on top of each other.

"Booo, that's so lame," said Luffy unimpressed.

"Don't underestimate them," warned Dr. Kureha. "If they were weak the townsfolk would've chased them away a long time ago."

Wapol then went on a long rant about how great he was before pointing a cannon arm at the flag and shooting at it.

"Sky walk!" yelled Luffy as he quickly jumped up to intercept the cannon, much to everyone's surprise. When the smoke cleared they saw Luffy hopping in the air.

"Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing! This is Chopper's treasure!"

"Treasure? Hah! It's just a filthy rag!"

"Shut up! Don't insult Doctor's pride!" screamed Chopper.

"A fraud like you will never understand the meaning behind this flag. This flag is a symbol of faith!" said Luffy proudly as he hopped to the tower holding the flag. He took a cloth out from his coat and tied it under Chopper's flag. "This island is under my protection now! If you don't want your ass kicked, then get out of here!" he yelled as he moved to the side to reveal the Straw Hat flag flying along with Chopper's. Chopper's jaw dropped again at that. _'This is a real pirate. He's so great,'_ thought Chopper.

"You insolent wretch! You dare dirty my castle with another on of you- ugh!" started Wapol before he was silenced by Luffy's fist as he jumped down from the castle.

"Chopper! You think you can take on those two weirdos?"

"Y-yeah!" answered Chopper as he popped a rumble ball into his mouth. Turning into Heavy point, he charged at the two freaks. "Heavy Gong!"

Chessmarimo blocked the attack and started mocking him, saying he had no friends.

"Shut up, idiots! Who said he doesn't have friends? I'm his friend!" screamed Luffy in rage.

"Lu-Luffy.." stuttered Chopper, a tear forming in his eye.

"Go ahead Chopper, show them your real power!" cheered Luffy as he waited for Wapol to wake up from the last punch.

"R-right! Brain point! Scope!" yelled Chopper as he went back to his small form and made a scope from his hooves. It took him only a few seconds to find the duos weak point.

"As if you can beat us! Chessmarimo Hammer!" they yelled as the pulled out four hammers and stared swinging them around.

"Jump point!" said Chopper jumping far above them and quickly changing to arm point. "Kokutei Rozeo!" he said as he came down and punched them out.

"Nice, Chopper!" cheered Luffy. He then turned around to Wapol who was still out cold. He remembered that Nami had got a key from him and began searching the tin bucket. Once he located it he picked him up and bazookaed him away.

"A-amazing," whispered Chopper, awed by Luffy's power.

* * *

><p>"Arg, I can't take this anymore!" shouted Dalton. "I'm going up there!"<p>

"Going where?" questioned Usopp.

"To the castle."

"What? How?"

"The villagers just found a rope lift."

"So... Luffy climbed the mountain for nothing?"

"Er.. I guess so. Sorry about that," answered Dalton.

"Wait, wait, WHAT? Luffy climbed that huge mountain? That idiot!" yelled Ace. "Show me the way up now!"

Ace and Dalton went off to the tree while Sanji called Luffy again.

"Hey. You're brothers on his way up. What's going on there anyway?"

"Ah, you guys can come up now too. Wait for me Chopper!" came Luffy's voice before he hung up.

* * *

><p>Luffy was walking around frowning after having lost Chopper in the forest. He ran off again after the fight when Luffy asked him to join the crew.<p>

As he was milling around, he sensed a sudden killer aura and ducked just in time to dodge Ace's punch.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot! First you take on the greatest pirates in East Blue and now you climb a freaking mountain in a snow-storm? Don't you have any sense of self-preservation?" Ace roared angrily.

"Ace! It's good to see you again too! How have you been!" yelled Luffy as he hugged his brother.

Instantly, Ace's anger seemed to have fizzled out.

"Idiot, don't make me worry so much," he said with a sigh of resignation.

"Sorry, sorry!" Luffy apologized though he sounded much too elated and happy to be taken seriously.

The rest of the crew watched awkwardly as the brothers caught up. After a while Dalton finally went up to Luffy and asked him about Wapol.

"Oh, that bucket face? I sent him flying a while ago."

Afterwards everyone went into the castle and Luffy gave Kureha the key as she subtly told them to sneak out with Zoro. They all sneaked out and waited in front of the castle for Chopper. When he finally appeared he tried to thank Luffy and explain why he can't join until Luffy told him to shut up and just come.

And just as on the first time, the little doctor was in tears.

They left, Ace going along with them. Though it was only until the next island after he confirmed their destination was the same, but nothing would have been able to wipe that stupid grin from their captain's face.

They were chased out by Kureha and the sight of the mountains blossoming like sakura trees.

* * *

><p>AN: Yup, I'm still alive. I apologize profusely for the horrendous gap. I just got carried away in the current of life and then it was hard to get back into writing it. the last few times I picked it up I couldn't write more than a few lines. I hope the chapter makes up for it and I'll try my best to update sooner. Though I won't make promises this time, seeing as how badly that went last time lol.

Thanks for everyones support, it meant a lot and I apologize I couldn't get back to everyone this time, I will start again with this chapter. Thanks especially to SerenePhenix for being a great beta.

Also wanna give a shout out to these stories (for some reason my favorite button isn't working and I just realized most of the stories I've favorited aren't there): I recommend you guys to check them out.

The Gentleman's Journey by WalrusofDestiny: This is one of my favorite stories and surprisingly doesn't seem to have a wide fan base. It's an AU-ish autobiography of Sabo if he had become a pirate. Sabo is incredibly kept in character and i love how the whole premise of the story theoretically possible. Definitely check this one out!

The Survivor! A Reject in OP by Undying Soul98: An epic crossover of OP and Devil Survivor. You don't have to play the game to enjoy it, as I had never even heard of the game prior to reading this.

Race for One Piece by Teruul: The best OC crew story I've found. Teruul's writing is amazing!

Only Towards the Future by spacecrazegirl: An extremely emotional story set after Luffy's death from the p.o.v. of each crew member.

Warm Memories and Brotherly Love by RoseDragonWitch: A great memory fic. its great if you're interested in what the crews reactions would be to some of the stunts Luffy's pulled off.

Reign of the King by Unique Username13: Another time travel fic, partly inspired by me :D

GuraGura Luffy by redking666: Interesting story of Luffy having whitebeards fruit instead of his own.


	13. For Alabasta!

Chapter 13: Battle For Alabasta!

"Arrah!"

"Ugghhhh!"

CA-CRAC-BOOOM!

The barrel Ace and Luffy were arm wrestling on cracked down the middle and broke. Though Nami was less than amused about losing a barrel that was still very useful for stowing, Luffy thought that it just added to the mood of the party. After recruiting Choppper and setting off, they had a party in his honor where he was introduced to the rest of the crew along with Ace. At first Vivi had been unable to join their festive mood, being much too unhappy, until Luffy showed her the eternal pose to Alabasta he had gotten from the Unluckies (earning him a beating from Nami for not telling them earlier) thus easing some of her worries.  
>Then Luffy and Ace immediately started going on about who was stronger and got into an arm wrestling fight. Luffy had held back to not reveal his strength, but was surprised at Ace's. It became clear to him now, that it was Ace who had been holding back the last time they did this.<p>

"You've gotten stronger Luffy."

"Thanks, you too!"

"The brother of a monster is a monster," whispered Usopp in awe. After the party everyone went to sleep (adding another hammock for Ace to sleep in), except Usopp who was keeping watch.

* * *

><p>Luffy woke up in cold sweat to the face of his worried brother.<p>

"Still having those nightmares?" asked Ace.

"Less now," mumbled Luffy as he wiped his eyes. It wasn't even his usual nightmare which is why he didn't wake up screaming. He was dreaming about Zoro being sick and how it was his fault.

"That's good, I suppose," replied Ace, still looking concerned. Most of the crew were still asleep in the cabin with the exception of Zoro who was sitting by the door, cleaning his swords, pretending he didn't notice what was going on to give the brothers some privacy.

"You have a doctor now, right? You should ask him about it. Maybe get some meds to knock you out," suggested Ace.

"Yeah, maybe," responded Luffy, knowing that there was no way he'd take the meds. What if something happened at night and he couldn't wake up?

Ace sighed and placed his hand on Luffy's head, fondling his hair. "You should go back to sleep. Nothings gonna happen."

"I know," Luffy smiled. "I'm gonna get something to eat first though."

"Tch. You bottomless pit," chuckled Ace as he went back to his hammock. If it was his own ship, he would've been raiding the kitchen as well, but as a guest he had better manners than that.

Luffy slowly crept out, nodding to Zoro as he passed by him and closed the cabin door behind him quietly so as not to wake up the rest. He was stillbothered about how Zoro had gotten sick this time. If such small changes could have such disastrous consequences, maybe he shouldn't carry out his plan. What he was planning wouldn't be a small change; it would lead to a whole new future. Although the whole purpose for changing it in the first place was to protect his friends, it would create a future where he didn't know what would happen, a future where he might lose his them just the samedue to his meddling in the timeline. But if he didn't change anything then what was the point of coming to the past? Everyone would just get hurt again.

He couldn't go to sleep with such thoughts and decided he'd be better off with a full stomach. Might as well make the most out of it before Sanji bought those dastardly locks for the fridge. On the way to the galley, he spotted Vivi leaning on the rail and looking out to sea, her shoulders shaking gently with silent sobs. Frowning, he went over to her.

"Hey. Can't sleep?" he asked, earning a startled gasp from her as she tried to quickly wipe her eyes clean, as if it could fool him.

"N-no. What about you?"

"Same. Why are you crying?"

"I-I wasn't really crying," mumbled Vivi, wiping at her eyes again. Luffy just cocked his head slightly and stared at her.

"I'm just worried about my people. Here I am having fun with you guys and they are all suffering," she sighed miserably.

"You don't need to worry. I already promised you I'll take care of it. I'll send Crocodile flying okay? And then we'll feast at your place," grinned Luffy.

The princess smiled softly and nodded her head. "Thanks, Luffy."

"Shishishi! You should go get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"Maybe after I get something to eat," the rubber-captain said with a grin, making a bee-line for the galley.

* * *

><p>"It wasn't me!" protested Luffy loudly as Sanji bore down on him.<p>

"Then how did the rations of 11 people which I carefully calculated to last us until Alabasta suddenly disappear in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know! I only had a little bit of it!" said Luffy, actually telling the truth for once. He knew better than to eat all the food this time around. So why the heck was Sanji still blaming him for it?

"So it was you!" shouted Sanji as he kicked him away and turned to Nami. "Nami-chwaaan~ Can you buy me a lock for the fridge?"

On the railing Usopp, Carue, and Chopper were fishing as they tried to hurriedly finish the left overs before Sanji noticed them.

"Hey, I know my brother's an idiot and I'm not surprised he'd do that. But it looks like he's telling the truth this time," said Ace as he pointed to the trio who froze in fear. Sanji casually walked up to them and banged their heads together. It was shortly after that Vivi gathered everyone and started explaining in detail the situation in Alabasta and how Crocodile was regarded as a hero by the people instead of the plague he was.

Why do you guys care about Croco-" started Ace before he fell face first on the ground.

"Ah! Doctor! We need a doctor!" shouted Chopper as he ran around in circles.

"Calm down he's just asleep," answered Luffy. "Besides aren't you the doctor?"

"Oh, you're right!" said Chopper as he went to confirm Ace was just sleeping while Vivi finished filling in the rest of the group.

* * *

><p>With everything said and done Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were made to fish for their food (using Carue as bait to Vivi's shock and annoyance). Ace was still asleep, Sanji was inside the kitchen along with Ms. Monday as the made lunch. Mr. 9 was made to clean the brig below deck while everyone else was lazing around on deck. The ship travelled through a smoky region (caused by underwater volcanoes according to Nami). When the steam cleared, they saw a strange man desperately hanging onto Carue. Luffy's heart leapt with joy at the sight of him.<p>

_'Bon chan! It's great seeing you again! I'll definitely save you this time too!' _thought Luffy as his face burst into a grin. At least until Bon Clay fell into the water.

"Ah! Zoro! Save him!" Zoro immediately dived in and fished him out.

"My life has been saved by pirates I don't even know! I'll never forget this!" exclaimed Mr.2, now lying on the deck and coughing up water. "My name is Bon Clay of the Okama Way! May I have some warm soup?"

"No!" yelled the crew. "We don't even have food for ourselves!"

"Oi, you can't swim?" questioned Usopp, looking the stranger up and down curiously.

"No, I ate a devil fruit.", Mr.2 answered with a mischievous wink.

"Really? Which one?"

"Well I need to wait for my ship anyway, so I might as well put on a show. This is my power!" yelled Mr. 2 as he lunged forward to smack Luffy in the face. Luffy however sidestepped the attack causing Usopp to get hit instead and send him flying into the wall.

"Oi! What are you doing?" yelled Zoro as he drew his blades and moved to slice the okama apart.

"Waaaiiit! I told you this is my show! Stop joking around!" said the cross dresser in Usopp's voice causing everyone to look confused except Luffy who was grinning.

"What? It's me?" asked the sniper as he got up, rubbing his face.

"Surprised? Touch it with my left hand and it goes back to normal. This is the power of the Copy Copy Fruit!"

"The voice, even the physique is the same," marveled Nami.

"Soooo cooool!" yelled Luffy.

"Well I don't have to punch you to make it work. I just need to touch the face," informed Mr. 2 as he went around touching everyone's face including Luffy who let himself be touched this time so he could be part of the show. He moved to touch Ace's face since he was still sleeping on the deck. Before he even could touch him though, his hand was grabbed roughly, making him shriek.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" growled Ace sleepily, face still pressed into the wooden planks.

"Eeek!" yelled Mr. 2 as he jumped back. "That's a scary one!"

"Ahhh come one Ace, don't ruin all the fun," pouted Luffy. "He can transform into anyone he touches!"

Sitting up and rubbing his sore face, Ace squinted first at his brother and then the stranger.

"I see. Well I can't let anyone who doesn't carry this mark impersonate me," said Ace as he pointed to his back.

Mr.2's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Whitebeard! You're Whitebeard pirates!?" screamed Mr. 2 as he backed away slowly.

"Nope, just Ace. We're the Straw Hat Pirates," said Luffy, with the tiniest edge of a pout on his face.

"Oh. Well anyway, let me show you the rest of the show! I even have a perfect memory. I remember every face I ever touched," declared the okama as he cycled through his faces. Vivi gasped as she saw her own father's face in the mix.

Afterwards Luffy, Usopp and Chopper danced with him until he left with his crew.

"See you soon Bon- chan!" yelled Luffy.

"Worry not. Length of time means nothing to true friendship!" declared Bon Clay before jumping onto his own ship and sailing away.

_'I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself again for us this time Bon-chan!'_ thought Luffy.

After he left, Vivi told them about her father's face and how Bon Clay was Mr. 2 while Luffy tried to look surprised.

* * *

><p>On Mr. 2's ship, Bon Clay was dancing around singing the praises of new friendships when one of his men walked up to him with a Den-Den Mushi.<p>

"Mr. 2! There's a call from the boss!"

"Already?" yelled Mr. 2 as he picked up the call. "Zero chan! How are you? I finished the mission!" He considered them his friends now since they got along so well, but work was work.

"Good. What did you find out?"

"They have Whitebeard's second division commander Fire-fist Ace with them!"

"What!? The Whitebeard pirates? What the hell are they doing in these seas? Dammit, so that brat wasn't all talk after all. We'll have to change plans again. Go straight to Nanohana and…."

Mr. 2 listened intently to his orders as his crew changed course straight to Nanohana.

* * *

><p>"I gotta say, that's a pretty good plan," complimented Ace as the crew finished wrapping bandages around their left arm after they finished discussing Mr. 2's problematic powers. To most of the crew's surprise it was Zoro who came up with the idea on how to prove their identities.<p>

"Yeah, it's almost as if the Marimo is already being impersonated," drawled Sanji.

"What'd you say ero cook?" growled Zoro.

"Nope, it's still him."

"Shishishi!" laughed Luffy at their antics. "Anyway, how far are we from Alabasta?"

"We'll reach Nanohana in a day or two," declared Vivi.

"Is there somewhere we could stop sooner? We need transportation in the desert. Don't you guys have more ducks like Carue?" asked Luffy. "It should be fine to delay a bit, since we're a few days ahead of schedule," thought Luffy to himself.

"That's a great idea! We can dock at the river first and send Carue to get them to meet us at Nanohana!" said Vivi excitedly. And so the crew adjusted their course slightly.

* * *

><p>They landed at the mouth of the river to drop off Carue and take a break. Luffy beat up some Kungfu Dugongs and made them his apprentices. When they were about to sail off, Ace told them that he was headed somewhere else.<p>

"Luffy, you guys should join the White Beard Pirates! Then we can be on the same crew!"

"No way! You join my crew!"

"Ha! In your dreams! I'm gonna make White Beard the Pirate King!" grinned Ace, already knowing what was coming next.

"I'm the one who's gonna be Pirate King!" protested Luffy.

"Haha! You never change! It was good seeing you again Luffy. I'll tell Sabo you're alright. Here take this paper; it'll let us meet again."

"Okay, thanks!" said Luffy as he took it and put it behind the band in his hat._ 'This should be useful later,'_ he thought_. _

"I know he's a hassle, but take good care of him for me," said Ace to the rest of the crew.

"Wait, Ace! Can I get Whitebeard's number? I want to talk to him!" Luffy said hurriedly.

Ace's eyebrows rose quizzically before he smiled, shrugging. It couldn't hurt and Sabo would probably be thrilled to hear their little brother's voice.

"You want to talk to Pops? Alright, I guess. You better not be rude though! And don't let that number get out, it's our personal mushi."

"Alright!", cheered Luffy, as his brother gave him what he needed for contact.

"Oi, guys, we got company," said Zoro as he pointed out to sea where a dozen Baroque ships were heading their way and blocking the path to Nanohana.

"You guys keep going, I'll take care of them for you," offered Ace, smirking. He hopped on his Striker and in just one strike incinerated the ships while the crew and the ex-baroque agents watched on in awe.

"The monster of a brother is truly a monster," whispered Usopp.

The crew waved Ace off and continued on. Luffy however was frowning. "Did the Baroque ships start showing up this early last time?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Nanohana, Mr. 2 disguised as the King was ordering his 'soldiers' to torch the town.<p>

"Th-this is insane! Someone call Khoza and the rebels!" yelled a townsman.

Just as the 'King' was leaving after having burned much of the town, a warship full of weapons crashed into the docks.

"Weapons!" yelled a townsman that went to check the ship for any supplies to help them in their current situation. We can finally fight back against the Royal Army! The Rebel army is on their way! Everyone prepare for war! For Alabasta!"

* * *

><p>"No. I can't believe this."<p>

"Believe it Khoza. The entire town is witness."

"Why would the King do this?" said Khoza as he sank down to the ground amongst the flaming embers, holding his head in his hands. The rebel army arrived shortly after the incident from a nearby oasis.

"They say he admitted to using the Dance Powder and did this to cover his tracks." said a grinning rebel army member. A member that had "BW" stamped on his biceps.

"So it's true. That bastard. He'll pay for this!" declared the young leader with a murderous look as he stood up and unsheathed his sword. "Farafra! Equip the men with the weapons we got from the ship. Erik! Prepare the horses. Okame! Go rally as many townsfolk as you can to join us. Kebi! Call all other units and tell them to march for the capital. We ride to war! _For Alabasta!_"

* * *

><p>"What?! What are you saying? Why would the King ever do that?" growled Chaka as he grabbed the reporting soldier by the collar and shook him.<p>

"I-I don't know, sir! I only reported what I heard!"

"Dammit all! This must be Crocodile's work! And just when the princess was supposed to be returning. Pell! Any trace of the King yet?"

"No. We've looked everywhere and we can't find him," he admitted sounding as alarmed as he looked.

"Tch. Organize a few men and keep on looking, Pell! But first get the ducks to the princess and bring her here immediately. She's in danger in Nanohana if the rebels recognize her." Pell nodded and went to prepare the ducks.

"Sir!" yelled a soldier as he ran toward. "All reports say the rebels are preparing to march upon the Capital!"

"Prepare the cannons and arm the men. If they come, we will crush them and end this war, once and for all. _For Alabasta_!"

* * *

><p>"Sir we've arrived at Nanohana!" saluted a Marine. The shock was evident on his and his companion's faces as they gazed upon the smoldering city.<p>

"What the hell is going on here?" bellowed Smoker as he watched the burning town and the preparing rebel army. "Looks like we were too late. The war is about to start full force. This had better not be Straw Hat's work! Tashigi!"

He turned around, his commander standing stiff and ready to take his orders. He could see in her eyes that she too could not believe what she was seeing, making her more determined than ever.

"Take everyone to the capital and try to help defuse the situation. If you can't, support the royal army. Either way, watch what happens to this country carefully. It may very well be the fate of our world one day. Now, prepare the men for battle! _For Justice_!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

><p>"Wh-what's going on here?" asked Vivi as she slid to her knees on the deck of the Going Merry while Nami tried to comfort her.<p>

"Oh no," whispered Luffy._ 'This definitely didn't happen last time. What have I done?'_

The rest of the crew watched on in shock as they saw the smoke rising from the dying flames of the town and people rushing about yelling loudly.

The ship had barely docked before Vivi jumped off and ran to the first person, asking them what happened. The townsman though was not eager to answer.

"What happened? Where the hell have you been?" he growled pushing her out of the way roughly. "The King, that's what happened! Now outta my way, I need to go join the rebels!"

"N-no! You can't fight!" yelled Vivi only to be ignored as the man rushed away, cocking his gun. She burst into tears as she looked around and saw everyone from the rebels, to the soldiers, to the common townsmen arming themselves, their eyes filled with unwavering resolve and anger. Nami put her hand on Vivi's shoulder as the rest of the crew crowded around, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Damn it! What the hell happened here?" Luffy asked no one in particular. Quickly he turned to the shaking princess. "Vivi! Where are the ducks? We need to head to the Capital now!" he urged, making her look up at him as though she had only noticed him just now.

"Did you say Vivi?" an elderly voice, suddenly behind them asked, nearly making them jump out of their skins.

They turned around to see an old woman leaning on a walking stick, the corners of her long robes singed but otherwise seeming unharmed. Her eyes widened as she gazed at the monarch. "You're Princess Vivi, aren't you?"

"She's definitely not the princess!" protested Usopp, waving his arms about panicked. Who knew who might be listening? They couldn't let Baroque Works' members find them here.

The old lady ignored him and marched straight towards Vivi. She stood impressively tall for a woman on a stick. "You have to stop them, Princess! These idiots will burn the entire country down like this town. Even if the King is responsible, there are better ways to stop him."

Vivi looked about ready to faint.

"Wh-what do you all mean the King is responsible?" she barely whispered, the whites of her eyes more pronounced.

The old lady looked at her sadly, the beginnings of tears glistening in her eyes.

"I don't know what got into him. He used to be so benevolent. He came here and ordered the town to be burned down!" she cried at last.

"No! It wasn't him!" protested Vivi, getting to her feet at once. "It's Crocodile! It's all his fault! We have to stop him!"

"It's not?" a tearful smile appeared on her face as she clasped the princess' hands "Oh thank God! I couldn't believe the King was evil!"

"Hey, old lady! Do you have cool desert clothes? And meat?" demanded Luffy, startling the two women.

"Um, I have some clothes I was able to salvage from my shop before it burnt down."

"Great! We'll buy them! Zoro, go find me a really, really cool looking sword. I don't care if it's the dullest blade ever, as long as it looks cool." Zoro raised his brow in question, but silently walked away.

"Usopp go make sure he doesn't get lost!"

"What are you up to now Luffy?" asked Nami from beside the still crying Vivi.

"Well we need the clothes to get across the desert. And we need to wait for the ducks. They're faster than the army's horses so we can still beat them to the Capital, stop the war, and fix everything. So don't worry Vivi!" he exclaimed as he slammed his hat over her head. She looked up with tear filled eyes and nodded in thanks.

Luffy followed the old lady to her stash of clothes and picked out ones for each member of the crew. Each pair was an identical looking long robethough interestingly enough all in their favorite color while Luffy chose a black one for himself. He also donned his gold and red cloak on top of his shoulders, the arms dangling behind him, along with his hat that Vivi returned. Zoro arrived just before the ducks. He was carrying a black and red hilted sword with a gold dragon running up the red sheath.

"This is the best I could find. Completely ceremonial. Wouldn't even be able to cut wood.", he explained, still eyeing his captain curiously.

"It's perfect!" yelled Luffy.

Just then the ducks arrived, Carue at the lead. The crew hopped on the ducks and took off towards the capital, the old lady waving them away tearfully.

What would have taken them days had they travelled like Luffy remembered it, merely took them about an hour before they were in sight of the charging army and the capital just ahead of them. They were just in time as the rebels were still charging towards the elevated city, half a mile away. Another host was marching towards the capital from the east. The Straw Hats urged their ducks even faster, most with grim looks on their faces as they imagined how they could stop an army of a million. Vivi was sobbing quietly, but had a determined look in her eyes.

Luffy clicked his tongue in annoyance as the city started firing their cannons at the horde below. A plan having formed in his head, he jumped off his duck and went into gear second as he suro-ed past the charging horses. Once he was in front of the army, he kicked off of the ground leaving a carter as the sand rose up behind him. Up high, he saw the third party was a group of marines lead by Tashigi, rushing towards the city with a white flag. The rebels at the front, the soldiers on the walls, and the marines stared in awe as he sky walked to intercept the cannonballs.

"Who is that?" exclaimed all sides since all they could see was a red cloaked figure darting around.

"Shoot him down!" ordered Chaka, pointing his sword at Luffy. The soldiers adjusted the cannons and tried to fire, but they had no effect on the rubber captain as he smashed the cannon balls to smithereens.

"It's Straw Hat Luffy!" cried Tashigi as she spotted his hat from the single instant he was still to catch a cannon ball. "He's supposed to be behind this! Fire!" she ordered her marines as they brought up their rifles in a salvo of bullets while she rushed ahead.

Luffy didn't even pay them any attention as most missed him and the rest simply bounced off.

"Is he on our side?" questioned Farafra, staring.

"It doesn't matter! Keep charging!" Khoza order his men, his eyes never wavering from the towers of the approaching capital.

From up high, Luffy gazed at what would undoubtedly turn into a bloody battleground if he did not intervene.

_'I wasn't strong enough to save everyone last time, but I am now. I won't let anyone die, Vivi,' _he thought.

Still blocking the cannon balls, he waited for the rebels to arrive at the base of the city walls. As they did so, their horses finally stopped charging and they dismounted to get up the stairs. Luffy waited until that moment to unleash a wide ranged burst of Conqueror's Haki so that when they passed out they wouldn't be trampled under the horses they were riding. Everything went silent and froze for a second, including his own crew that had been watching in awe as their ducks neared the city. Then, as if they were all one being, the rebels, soldiers, and marines slumped down unconscious. Luffy let out a sigh as he rubbed his temple.

"Darn, I'm not used to using this much Haki at once anymore," he mumbled as he sky walked down to his crew who all had their eyes bulging out and jaws dropped.

"Holy shit!" cried Usopp as he stared at what he estimated to be 1.4 million unconscious bodies.

"W-wow…," whispered Chopper and Nami while Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth.

Zoro looked both impressed and annoyed at there being no enemies left to fight.

Vivi was shocked, her eyes switching from her city, to her citizens, to Luffy and back.

"Are… are they okay?" she finally asked.

"Shishishi! Told you I'd stop the war! Don't worry they're fine. Just knocked them out for a bit. Something told me they wouldn't have stopped if we just asked politely," shrugged Luffy.

"How the hell is that even possible?" cried Sanji. "You just knocked out two armies, more than a million people in an instance!"

They had established that their captain was a moron and a monster. But this… this bordered on insane.

Luffy just shrugged.

"They're not all down. I couldn't make it too powerful since I had to make the range so big. Crocodile's men are still awake over there," he said, pointing to the west. "A couple of guys from the city and the rebels are still up too. Oh and that marine lady. You guys go to the city deal with them. Defeat Baroque Works and don't let any of the others, rebels or soldiers die. Right Vivi?"

Vivi grinned widely as she replied, more hopeful than she had ever been during the trip. "Yup!"

"What about you?" asked Usopp as he began fiddling with his pouch and slingshot.

"Crocodile's on his way. I'm going to go meet him," replied Luffy as he felt the Wardlord cross the river along with Robin at the edge of his Haki. He grinned inwardly when he sensed another strong presence heading to intercept them "See ya guys later!" he yelled as he took off again in second gear.

The crew looked at each other, shaking their heads at the ridiculous, yet unsurprising behavior of their captain, before heading toward the city, driving the ducks gingerly through the crumbled bodies of the rebels. They arrived at the South Gates and stopped as the vast city lay before them.

"We'll have to split up," stated Zoro and began to ride away without waiting for a response.

"Sp-sp-spilt up? My I-can't-split-up-or-"

"Oh just shut up. This isn't the time," Sanji interrupted irritably. "Don't worry my lovelies! I'll protect you!" he proclaimed as he faced Vivi and Nami, his tone changing completely.

"Whatever. Just go fight already," sighed Nami carelessly. Barely had the words left her mouth before Sanji screamed yes and ran off, forgetting his duck and muttering to himself how he was going to impress the ladies.

"Nami! What've you done! You just sent the last of the monster trio away! What are we gonna do if we run into Baroque Works now?" exclaimed Usopp looking utterly terrified.

"That idiot! I didn't mean for him to run off immediately!" retorted Nami, looking no less terrified than the sniper.

Chopper whined under his hat at the thought while Vivi tried to calm them all down, but before she could do so, a few people jumped down from the buildings and right in between the group. The ducks jumped in fright at the sudden appearance, causing the Straw Hats except Vivi to fall off. The Straw Hats froze as they stared at the really strange looking trio. One was a blue haired, scantily clad woman, a white haired man with oddly shaped eyebrows and sevens all over his outfit and a woman wearing a frog outfit.

"Look what we found, geeerogerogerogero," jeered the frog lady.

"Looks like the princess and her friends, Ohahahaha," said the white haired fellow.

"Hooh, looks like easy pickings," stated the blue haired woman.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! It's Baroque Works! Run!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs as he got up and fled for his life. Chopper followed his example, chasing after him.

"Dammit, that idiot! We can't fight them alone! Let's go Vivi!" yelled Nami as she ran the other way.

"Did she say Vivi?" asked Miss Doublefinger as Vivi rode Carue away into another direction.

"It seems so, geeerogerogerogero."

"Well don't just stand there you idiots! Chase after her!"

Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day hurried to obey as they ran after the Alabastan princess. Miss Doublefinger puffed on her pipe as she turned in the direction where Nami went and leisurely started walking. "I have to kill the weaker ones first," she told herself.

* * *

><p>"Ah damn! Did we get away?" asked Usopp, bent over his knees as he gasped for breath.<p>

"I hope so," answered Chopper before he looked around. "Ahhhhh! Where's Nami and Vivi?" he exclaimed.

"Damn! We forgot about them! I hope they're okay!" yelped Usopp.

The two freaked out and started heading back, but stopped in their tracks when an extremely tall man wielding a double-edged sword and paint on his face turned around the corner and eyed them. He wore a duck head band with wings over a turban.

"Rebels. You will regret the day you raised your hand against our magnificent king," he stated as he walked towards them. Usopp and Chopperscreeched in terror and ran for it, unknowingly heading out the West Gates. They only stopped when they sighted two strange looking figures ahead. One resembled an old mole lady while the other was a big man wielding a bat as tall as he was along with a weird dog creature.

"Ah! My back hurts. Mr. 4 give me a massage!" ordered the mole lady, not noticing their presence.

"Eeeeeeeennnnn…" said the giant man with the bat.

"What? What are you saying, ba?" asked the old lady.

"Nnnnnneeeeemmmmmmmm…"

"Oh spit it out already, you good-for- nothing-oaf!"

"iiieeess. Eeeennnnneeeemmmiiiiieeees," the large fellow finished, pointing towards Usopp and Chopper as they gulped in fear.

"Oh, why didn't you say so before, ba?"

"Why me? Why do we keep running into enemies today?" cried Usopp. As he turned around to run back, he screamed yet again as he noticed the tall man had caught up to them.

"I am Arrow, from whom none can escape!" he declared.

Usopp ignored him as he turned the other way and started moving, before skidding to a halt. Coming from that direction was a tall man with a black ponytail and goggles over his hat. He wielded a sword and a club with a large shotgun slung over his back.

"Arrow. Long time no see," he said nonchalantly as he eyed the rest curiously.

"Kebi! Put down your weapons! How can you go against the King?" asked Arrow.

"Because I believe it's the right thing to do," he answered.

"Screw my life," groaned Usopp as he slunk to his knees, surrounded by enemies while Chopper kept looking back and forth between all the parties hesitantly.

West Gate: Usopp and Chopper vs. Mr 4 pair vs. Arrow vs Kebi

* * *

><p>"Watch me burn through the enemies with my passion for you Nami-chawwwwn! You can depend on your prince my beautiful Vivi-swaaaaaan!" cried Sanji as he ran happily through the city streets.<p>

"Stop jooooking around! You can't burn through the Okama Way!" shouted Mr. 2 as he spun into view from a near-by alley.

"Tch. It's you. You're the one that can shape shift right?" asked Sanji, coming to a halt and lighting a cigarette.

"Aye, thaaaat's me!"

"Then I'll kick your ass," drawled Sanji.

"Halt! Intruders, you shall go no further! In the name of the King, I will slay you," said a huge man as he jumped off of a building and landed in the street. He was wielding a humongous butcher's knife over his shoulder and wearing the same duck head band as Arrow.

"Hyota. Didn't expect to run into you here," said a new voice as he walked out of a side street. He was a huge, one-armed man with scars running across his body.

"Farafra," spat out the man named Hyota. "I didn't expect you to rise against our king."

"Hmph. That treacherous scum is no King of mine," spat Farafra as he drew a blade as large as he was.

"What? You dare-!"

"Stooooop joking around! Who are you two? I'm an okama!" interrupted Mr. 2 as he continued spinning around.

"Tch. Looks like I got more idiots to deal with," drawled Sanji. "Yo, shitty one arm. Don't speak about Vivi swan's father like that!"

"You dare speak the princess' name in such a familiar manner? I will have your tongue, insolent scum!" roared Hyota as he brandished his huge sword.

Polka Street: Sanji vs. Mr. 2 vs. Hyota vs. Farafra

* * *

><p>Nami ran until her sides burned. She stopped in an empty street to catch her breath as she looked around. She hoped Vivi was okay while she cursed Usopp for running away before her. Once she could breathe normally again she started walking towards the palace, figuring that's where Vivi would've gone. As she turned the corner, she almost bit her tongue in surprise and jumped back behind the wall. Carefully leaning over she saw a marine lady confronting another woman wearing a pink dress and holding a long sword. She wore a white hat and had short black hair. The marine lady also had her sword drawn, a beautiful green hilted blade.<p>

"Are you a rebel?" demanded the marine.

"And what if I am?" sneered the other woman.

"Then I, Tashigi, must arrest you! I cannot let such murderous hands hold a sword," declared the marine lady.

"Tch, you marines are the same as the Royal Family! Fine then, I, Okame, will defeat you here!" cried the other woman as she charged at Tashigi.

Nami hurriedly backed away under the clang of the blades, not eager to get into a fight. Or at least she tried to until she bumped into the blue haired lady from before who was smiling down at her.

"Going somewhere, dear?" she asked mockingly.

"Ah!" screamed Nami as she jumped back into the street and drew her new staff Usopp had made. Tashigi and Okame halted their fight to see what the sound was about while Miss Doublefinger walked into view.

"Oh a marine? That's no good. We wouldn't want news of this to get back to HQ," mumble Miss Doublefinger to herself.

"Pirates," growled Tashigi as she re-positioned herself to face both Okame and the two pirates.

"Rebels," retorted a voice from behind her. The women looked back to see tall, hunchbacked man with hair covering his eyes. He too wore a duck headband around his turban and stepped forward, wielding a pole arm in each arm.

"Brahm," spat Okame as she raised her sword higher.

Media Assembly Hall: Nami vs. Miss Doublefinger vs. Tashigi vs. Okame vs. Brahm

* * *

><p>Vivi arrived at the Royal Palace through the front entrance, hopping off of Carue to run inside. She looked at the unconscious soldiers with sympathy, but was glad they were only knocked out and not fighting.<p>

"Father! Chaka! Pell! Are you okay?" she cried as she ran through the palace.

She grew anxious as no one answered her in the entire palace, running from floor to floor, up to the rooftop. As she burst through the door, an imposing figure stepped forth. He was a huge man wielding a large axe and wearing an unmistakable duck headband over his turban, identifying him as one of Alabasta's finest and most loyal soldiers.

"Barrel!" cried Vivi in relief. "Where's Father?"

"Princess! You're alright! Thank God!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but where is everyone?"

"Chaka and Pell and the rest of the Kicking Claw Force went off to figure out what happened," he replied evasively.

"What about Father? Where's Father?" asked Vivi, growing desperate.

"We… we don't know. We haven't found him."

"What?" she exclaimed, fearing the worst.

"Geeerogerogerogero! Maybe we could tell you where your father is," sneered someone as they walked out from the door way Vivi had just burst through.

It was the frog lady and her partner

"Ohahahaha! Or maybe not!" chuckled Mr. 7.

"Tch, you two!" growled Vivi as Barrel stepped in front of her.

"Who are they princess?", he asked, getting into battle-ready stance.

"Baroque Works agents," Vivi answered quickly, eyes narrowed.

"Then allow me the honor of cutting them into pieces," said Barrel as he stepped forward swinging his huge axe.

"The only one being cut up will be you and the Royal Family, Barrel!" screamed a voice from off to the side. Vivi gasped as she recognized it and turned to look in that direction to find two men standing there. One was a red haired, wearing a black top hat while the other was a large, sporting an open shirt revealing his muscular chest and holding a large mallet.

"Eric! Natto!" cried Vivi, happy to see old friends. "Where's Khoza?"

"We could ask you the same thing, princess," spat Eric, a mocking tone at her title. "He should be here by now, he ran ahead of us."

"Get back, your highness! They are rebels!" cried Barrel as he re-positioned himself to stand in from of Vivi from both parties.

Royal Palace: Vivi and Barrel vs. Eric and Natto vs. Mr. 7 pair.

* * *

><p>Zoro walked nonchalantly through the streets, his arm resting on his swords. He turned the corner and frowned as a familiar building came up in front of him.<p>

"Damn it, why do these buildings keep moving around!" he grouched, turning around. After walking for a while he came into an open square. At almost exactly the same time, three other men walked into the clearing from three different directions.

From the North was a shoulder length black haired man with an extremely long nose. He bore a blue hilted sword around his waist.

From the West was came a dark skinned, nearly bald man with an "Ichi" tattooed on his muscular chest. He carried no visible weapons.

From the East walked forth a blonde man with purple tinted sunglasses and a dark purple jacket hanging over his shoulders. He was armed with a pistol on his belt and a sword already drawn in his hand.

The four men tensed as they sighted each other, Chaka drawing his sword while Zoro pushed Kitetsu out of its sheath a thumbs length. Mr. 1 simply cocked his head.

"Chaka! Where's the King? I'll have his head!" roared Khoza, ignoring the other two.

"Enough of your insolence! Do you truly believe the King is behind this? He would never commit such atrocities and you of all people should know that!" answered Chaka.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Everyone saw with their own eyes what happened! I'll kill you first if I have to, but the King's reign ends today!" Khoza screamed as he charged at Chaka, wielding his blade in front of him.

"If you refuse to see reason, then I will end this rebellion here and now by taking your head!" retorted Chaka as he rushed towards the rebel.

Just as they were about to collide with each other, they stopped as Zoro suddenly appeared in between them, blocking their blades with his own, one held horizontally in a backhanded grip facing Chaka and the second held vertically towards Khoza.

"What the?" asked Khoza.

"Who are you?" growled Chaka.

Zoro gave a predatory grin at the two and held his stance. "So I'm guessing you two aren't from Baroque Works? Well I can't let you kill each other then. Captain's orders and what not," he replied casually, despite the strain of holding the two men back.

"This must be my lucky day. I've got three high profile targets practically throwing themselves in my hand," spoke Mr. 1 for the first time as he nonchalantly advanced toward the trio.

"Who the hell are you guys?" growled Khoza, trying to push past Zoro to get at Chaka.

"Captain? Are you the pirates with Princess Vivi?" asked Chaka as he backed off slightly before switching his blade towards Mr. 1. "And you must be Baroque Works," he growled.

"Oh good. Saves me the trouble of finding you once I've knocked these two out," said Zoro, relieved that he wouldn't have to go wandering around in this maze of a city any longer

"Vivi? Pirates? Baroque Works? The hell's going on here?" yelled Khoza.

Central City Square: Zoro vs. Mr. 1 vs. Khoza vs. Chaka

* * *

><p>Luffy glided more than he ran through the desert, leaving a trail of sand billowing in his wake. He crossed the few miles towards the river as he sensed Crocodile approacing.<p>

He skidded to a stop causing his cloak to billow around him as he cleared a large sand dune and saw Crocodile flying towards him along with Robin riding a sleek looking crocodile below him. The Warlord's eyes widened as he spotted Luffy and he halted in midair a dozen meters from him. At the same time a loud motor sounded as a huge bike jumped out from behind another dune to the south showing Smoker riding his special, smoke operated bike. He pulled the brakes as soon as he landed, the bike twisting around in protest and skidding him to a stop, forming a triangle between the three men. Robin chuckled behind her hand at the sight.

"Yo! Croco, Smokey! How you guys doing?" asked Luffy, cheerfully, raising up a hand at them as if they were all old friends.

Crocodile sneered while Smoker scowled.

"Straw Hat. Crocodile. What are you two doing, meeting here in the middle of nowhere?" spat out the Marine Captain.

"Hmph. What's it to you, White Hunter?" drawled Crocodile as he huffed on his cigar nonchalantly.

"I heard some weird rumors about you and Straw Hat. Looks like they were true. What are you two planning with this country?" questioned Smoker.

"You need to learn to mind your business," retorted Crocodile.

"I'm here to kick his ass," declared Luffy while picking his nose, causing Crocodile to growl in a fashion that would put his namesake to shame.

"Say that again brat!"

"Shishishi! If you want me to, sure. I'm here to kick your a-" began Luffy before sand billowed in his face, causing him to cough it up.

"There's almost nothing I hate more than arrogant, cocky rookies who don't know their place, Straw Hat," growled Crocodile.

"How about you two stop arguing and surrender yourselves? By my power as Marine Captain, I strip you of your title and immunity Crocodile, until further investigation. You're both under arrest," said Smoker, drawing forth his seastone jitte. "And that devil of a woman," he spat out.

"Oi," began Luffy, his voice suddenly chilling as his cloak billowed out behind him, revealing the black and red hilted sword at his side and his hat shadowed his eyes. "Don't speak to her like that."

Robin raised her eyebrow in curiosity and surprise at Luffy defending her with such venom.

"Robin," he said, lifting his head and smiling his 'D' grin at her, causing her to drop her jaw as he so causally said the name she had been trying to hide for the past couple of years. "Join my crew."

Crocodile's face erupted into rage as he flung a blade of sand at Luffy while Smoker shot up into his smoke form, gliding around the sand towards Crocodile, his jitte held high to smash down against the Warlord's skull.

Alabasta Desert: Luffy vs. Crocodile vs. Smoker vs. Robin.

* * *

><p>AN: So, it's been a while lol. Almost 6 months! I do apologize for the long interval, but I had a lot of problems writing this chapter along with busy stuff in rl. I had to re write this chapter 3 times before it came out right. I got so annoyed with it, I stopped working on this for a while and started writing different stuff (speaking of which, if you're a Harry Potter fan, be sure to check out my new fic). Before it was either too close to canon or too close to Victor's Once Again (the fic that inspired this one).<p>

Now I think I got it right xD None of those guys are OCs btw. Search the wiki if you have to.

Hope you guys like it and forgive me for my long absence!

**Specail thanis SerenePhenix for betaing this chapter! **


	14. For What Truly Matters!

**Chapter 14: For What Truly Matters and To Prove Ones Self!**

**AN**: For those too lazy to look up the extra characters (almost as lazy as me in writing this chapter xD) here they are:

Hyota, Brahm, Arrow, and Barrel were all part of the Royal Army. They were the elite group called the Tsumegeri Butai (or Kicking Claw Force) that drank from the steroid fountain thingy to get power at the price of their lives. Crocodile wiped the floor with them.

Farafra, Okame, Kebi, Eric, and Natto were all part of the Rebel army and part of the Suna Clan (the group of kids Vivi used to play with).

And no. No I did not forget about Mr. 9 and Miss Monday and just remembered to include them right now... So yeah.

* * *

><p>"Gah! Who does he think we are?" growled Mr. 9, flailing his bats in anger as he and Miss Monday paced about the crashed war ship in the destroyed town. The townsfolk that had stayed behind, (mostly the elderly and the children) kept a safe distance from the strange pair. "Why do we always have to do all his chores? We're not even part of that stupid crew!"<p>

"Just do it for Miss Wednesday. She's our friend," stated Miss Monday as she sat on the docks calmly.

"I know! But why do we have to wait here for some dead guy? We saw Mr. 8 die. Now that Straw Hat brat orders us to wait here for him?"

"If he says Mr. 8 is alive, then Mr. 8 is alive."

"Bah! Whatever," he complained as the pair continued to wait for Mr. 8.

* * *

><p><strong>West Gate: Usopp and Chopper vs. Mr 4 pair vs. Arrow vs Kebi<strong>

"Why me!?" complained Usopp, his hands thrown up in a dramatic wail as he and Chopper stood in between the enemies.

"Usopp! We have to do something!" shrieked Chopper.

"Oh, you two are the Straw Hat pirates we're supposed to kill, ba!" exclaimed Miss Christmas.

"Pirates? At the heart of our country? Do you see now why I am fighting, Arrow? The King has allowed the country to fall so far that pirates can freely strut about our capital."

"That has nothing to do with the King! It's all Baroque Works fault! Now put down your weapons! Or I will put them down for you!" exclaimed Arrow as he swung the long sword around to hold it in front of him menacingly.

"Mr. 4, they know about us!? We'll have to kill them too, ba!" cried the mole lady as she transformed into her humanoid mole form and dove into the ground causing Usopp to scream in horror.

"Ooooookkkaaaaaayyy…," drawled Mr. 4 as he hefted his huge bat.

"I'll deal with the pirates later. First I'll beat you!" cried Kebi as charged at Arrow, ignoring the others. He jumped up as he neared the tall man and swung his sword and club down at him. Arrow scowled as he swung his sword to block both weapons, causing a clang as the metals struck against each other.

"Did you forget, we taught you how to fight?" he growled at Kebi as he flung him backwards towards the Straw Hats. Kebi flew through the air, doing a backflip as he landed. Arrow began to charge at the rebel, but was stopped when two clawed hands suddenly grabbed him from below the ground.

"What the -?"

"I got him! Now Mr. 4!" cried the mole lady.

Usopp and Chopper stared in horror as the dog-gun thing coughed up a baseball towards Mr. 4 who swung at it. It went soaring towards them. Usopp ducked with a scream and it went flying over his head. Just as it was about to smash into Arrow, the guardsman brought his sword down at Miss Christmas, forcing her to duck underground and let him go. He ducked to the side, quite nimbly for his size, as the baseball went passed him and rolled to a stop.

"Accursed pirates! You da-"

KABOOOM!

The baseball exploded in a large plume of flames causing the Alabastan natives and the Straw Hats to look surprised. Miss Christmas jumped back out of the ground and started swinging her clawed hands, slashing him across the back before he could recover from the shock of the blast. He quickly rolled away and turned around to block her attacks with his blade.

"Ahhhh! It's a bomb!" screamed Usopp.

"Tch. Don't interfere! You want me to deal with you lot first?" questioned Kebi as he started charging towards Mr 4.

Lasso, the dog-gun, sneezed another explosive ball at the charging rebel. As Kebi swung his sword at it, Chopper screamed and turned into his reindeer form, smashing into the man from the side.

"Noooo! Are you stupid? It'll explode on you if you slice it!"

"Tch. A talking tanuki. What the hell has this country come to?" groaned Kebi as he got up and swung his weapons at Chopper just as he was protesting that he was a reindeer not a tanuki. Chopper leapt out of them way, his reindeer form too agile for the burly man.

"Chopper! What are you doing? We have to get away somehow!" cried Usopp.

"But we can't! Luffy told us to fight Baruqe Works and to protect the others!" replied Chopper.

"I know, but look at these guys! They're all a bunch of freaks! We can't beat them! Lets's just get away while they fight each other!"

Chopper looked indecisive for a moment, looking around at the strong opponents before him. He was about to agree with Usopp before he remembered something Luffy told him shortly after joining the crew.

* * *

><p><em>"Chopper! I need a doctor!" cried Luffy as he burst into his new medical office. Chopper had just finished setting it up in a spare room on the Merry after the welcome party they threw for him. He could hardly believe he was on the seas finally, living as a pirate!<em>

_"Ahhhh! Doctor! We need a doctor!" cried Chopper jumping down from his seat and running around the infirmary._

_"Shishishi! You're the doctor, stupid!"_

_"Oh! That's right! What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing big, I just noticed this was stuck in my arm," drawled Luffy, pushing his sleeve back to reveal a long splinter from the barrel he had cracked in his arm wrestling match with Ace. It had been stuck there since then and slowly bleeding, but Luffy was to distracted with the party with Mr. 2 and the fact that he got his doctor again as well as his brother being with them for longer this time._

_"Ah! You should've told me before! It's bleeding!"_

_"Sorry sorry, I was distracted with the party."_

_After a bit more lecturing from the doctor to be careful, Chopper took the splinter out and bandaged his arm._

_"Thanks Chopper! You're the best!" cried Luffy._

_"Bastard! Saying that won't make me happy!" declared Chopper as he did his little wiggle dance._

_"Shishishi!" laughed Luffy as he turned back around to go outside._

_But just as he grabbed the door knob, Chopper's voice called him back. He turned to see the reindeer hiding under his hat and looking worried._

_"Why did you want to be friends with a monster like me?"_

_"Just because you're not a human doesn't make you a monster, Chopper. I know some humans that are real monsters," replied Luffy, his hand going to the scar on his chest. _

_"But I'm still a monster phy__sically! Even my human form isn't actually human," protested Chopper. "And I'm not a great doctor and I'm really weak. I don't know if I'll fit in the crew."_

_"So what if you're not human physically? It's your heart that truly matters. And your heart's amazing Chopper! You're really kind and compassionate and care about everyone, even enemies. You're more human than most people! Don't let anyone tell you different cause you're no monster. And don't put yourself down like that! You're the doctor of the future pirate king, the doctor that will cure all diseases one day! You're definitely one of us. You'll never be weak so long as you keep your head up and do your best! After that, you can leave the rest to me." grinned Luffy as he patted his hat while Chopper tried to hold back his tears. _

* * *

><p>Chopper shook his head. "No! You go, I'll hold them back!"<p>

"Are you insane!? How are we supposed to take all these strong guys on? Let's just go look for Zoro or Sanji!" yelled Usopp.

"No! Luffy gave us an order and he believes in us!"

"Yeah, but how the hell do we beat these guys?"

"I don't know. And I don't care. We just have to do our best and leave the rest to Luffy! I'll fight for what truly matters!" shouted Chopper as he jumped back into the melee, still in his original reindeer form, his horns clashing with Kebi's weapons.

"What truly matters? Isn't staying alive what matters? Tch, fine have it your damned way!" yelled Usopp as he lifted his pachinko and fired a pellet at an incoming baseball, blasting it in the air. "But I'm outta here as soon I get the chance!"

"You speak strong words, Tanuki. But you don't seem strong enough to back them up!" roared Kebi as he pushed Chopper back with his sword and rushed in to smash him with his club.

"I'm a reindeer, dammit!" responded Chopper as he transformed to his Heavy Point and meeting the club with his huge fists.

"All this yapping is hurting my back, ba! Mr. 4 hurry up and blast this guy!" said Miss Merry Christmas as she dived underground again, unable to hold her own against Arrow. Arrow in turn started running toward Mr. 4 and Usopp who was between the two.

"Not if I take him out first!" yelled Arrow, slashing at Usopp to get to the large batsman.

"Ahhh!" yelled Usopp as he fired a pellet at the tall swordsman, only to have it deflected aside. Just as the sword was bearing down on him, however, he felt something grab him by the ankles and rush him forward towards the batman.

"Molehill Highway! Mr. 4, let's get these weaklings out of the way first so we can focus on those two!" said the mole lady as she drove Usopp towards the batsman as he pulled his arm back to swing full force. He swung at Usopp, sending him flying off into the distance. Simultaneously, Lassoo, the gun-dog, shot a baseball at Arrow, which he carelessly cut down, blasting himself back and causing a smokescreen in his vicinity.

"NNOOOO! Usssooooppppp!" cried Chopper as he jumped back from his fight. "Dammit I don't have time for this! Rumbleball! Jump Point!" said Chopper as he jumped out of the fight and rushed towards Usopp only to find the sniper barely holding on to consciousness, several of his bones broke. "Hold on! I'll treat you as soon as the battle's over!" he said as he reached for a painkiller and poured it down the sniper's throat for the time being.

"Get back here Tanuki! The fight's just starting!" said Kebi as he rushed toward him, only to be stopped by Arrow who jumped out of the smoke of the blast with only slight burns and clashed his sword with the rebel's.

"Today is an annoying day. Why are there so many flies about?" he questioned with an irritated expression. As the two clashed, Mr. 4 fired another baseball while Miss Christmas tried to hold one of them down again or attack them from behind. They dodged it, but got cut by the mole lady, trying to slash her only to have her disappear underground.

Chopper on the other hand shifted to his Brain Point and used Scope to analyze the battle. "I need to finish this as fast as possible before my time runs out!... Aha! Hang in there Usopp, I see a way!" he declared as he turned back to walk point and charged towards Mr. 4. Once he neared the huge man, he switched back to Jumping Point to dodge the slow batsman and get behind him, turning to Arm Point and using his strongest attack (**Kokutei Roseo Mete)** to cover his back in hoof prints and knock him aside. He took the opportunity to grab Lassoo and shove his head into one of the nearby holes, causing the dog to sneeze a bunch of baseballs into the underground maze.

Just as Choppper was about to jump back, he was grabbed by the mole as she had retreated from her own fight. Unfortunately for her, the bombs went off just then, completely knocking her out. The blast erupted throughout the battlefield as well due to the many holes she had made and knocked all the contestants about. Chopper and Lasso were launched up and away as they were over the center of the blast. Mr. 4 was also launched aside. Kebi and Arrow who were father from the main blast were knocked off their feet.

"Tch, damned Tanuki! At least you got rid of the rest of the small fry," muttered Kebi as he tried to reorient himself.

"Looks like it's finally just the two of us!" said Arrow as he also got back up.

"Ch-Chopper!" wailed Usopp as he tried to get back up despite his broken bones, awoken by the boom of the blast, but outside the area of the explosion.

"No-not yet," groaned Chopper as he tried to get back up but fell down. Luckily Miss Christmas had absorbed most of the blast from him, but he'd still been heavily damaged. "C-can't give up yet.. need to stop th-those two from killing themselves," he muttered as he tried to change to a stronger form only to realize his three minutes were up. "N-no! I need more time," he said as he swallowed another yellow capsule and forced his battered body up.

"Chopper! Stop! You'll kill yourself!" wailed Usopp as he watched him.

Chopper tried turning into his Jump Point, but instead was transformed into his Horn Point. "St-stupid side effects," he groaned as he staggered back into the fray.

"Oh? Still alive Tanuki?" asked Kebi as he halted his fight with Arrow when Chopper drew near.

"Pitiful creature. Should I end your misery?" asked Arrow.

"Stop fighting!" yelled Chopper as he launched himself at the two. Arrow met his horns with his blade, chipping off a bit as he was launched back towards Kebi who swung his club at him. He tried turning into Guard Point, but was instead turned back to his Brain Point, taking the hit solidly and was sent flying again.

"No! Chopper!" yelled Usopp as he forced himself up and staggered toward the reindeer. Luckily the painkillers were taking effect and he could feel the aching from his broken bones diminishing a bit. "Let's get outta here Chopper," he muttered.

However Chopper only staggered back up and tried changing to Horn Point. This time he shifted into Arm Point. Both fighters turned back to him, wanting to get him out of the way so they could focus on each other. It was lucky he turned to his Arm Point as it gave him the strength to hold their attacks back, his hooves chipping away a bit under the sword strikes. If only he could transform at will, he could attempt to fight back, but under the circumstances Chopper didn't want to risk going to a weaker form and did his best to hold out. However he could only do so much against the seasoned warriors as Arrow got under his defenses and managed to land a narrow slash across his chest while Kebi managed to swing his club against his head, making him him see stars. Before they could swing again, Chopper tried going to Jump Point to get away, but turned into Guard Point. His defensive form wasn't much use against sharp objects, much like Luffy's skin, and Arrow's sword slashed again, this time deeper. Kebi landed a narrow slash as well as he turned about, swinging both weapons and knocking him away with his club. He landed a few feet away, turning back to his brain point.

"CHOPPEEERRRR!" cried Usopp as he ran to him. The two warriors dipped their head a bit in recognition of Chopper's effort, before ignoring the two pirates as they went back to their fight.

"Dammit Chopper! Are you still alive? I told you to stop trying to get yourself killed!" cried Usopp as he pulled out bandages from the reindeer's bags and wrapped them around his bleeding wounds.

"I-I need to s-stop them," muttered Chopper as he reached for another rumble ball.

"No! You've done enough," said Usopp as he knocked it out of his hand. "Stop trying to be so cool. That's supposed to be Captain Usopp's job."

"B-but Luffy s-said," muttered Chopper before Usopp cut him off.

"I know, I know, Fine, dammit, I'll take care of it. You sit back and rest. It's time to show the world what I'm really capable of!" roared the sniper as he got up, ignoring the knocking of his knees as he saw the two warriors go at it.

"Ugh, you better be right Luffy," he muttered as he pulled something out of his pack.

* * *

><p><em>"Dammit, what's the point? I'll never be able to do Haki," muttered Usopp as he nursed his wounds after their latest training session on their way to Little Garden. Nami had really beaten him up this time, taking some pent up anger of being targeted by a scary organization like Baroque Works on him.<em>

_"Sure you will," said Luffy as he walked by. _

_"Yeah right. I'm the weakest one here. All I can do is lie and dream on. I'll always just be a coward." _

_"No, you're strong," argued Luffy. "Remember when you went to fight Kuro and his crew on your own for your village. That takes real strength and Me courage. You just need to bring it out again." _

_"That's because I didn't have a choice then. Otherwise, all I've ever done is run away. Even against that Fishman, it was mostly just a fluke." _

_"You're not a coward for running away, Usopp. That's just your fighting style," said Luffy, thinking back to the time he had to fight Usopp. "Me and Zoro and Sanji, we fight up close and personal, but that doesn't make us brave. That's just how we fight. Rob- er someone once told me, true courage isn't not haveing fear, it's crushing that fear, or something like that."_

_"But how?" asked Usopp. _

_"Come with me, I have something for you," said Luffy as he led them to his quarters. He pulled out his box that he used sometimes and pulled out a yellow mask with three curvy points sticking out of it. _

_"I had Nami buy this in Louge Town. If you think you can't be brave on your own and can't stop lying, than don't. Just turn those lies into the truth. Pretend to be who you want to be, until you can actually become like that. Don this mask, and crush all your fears, until you can face them without it," said Luffy handing it over to him. _

* * *

><p>Usopp put on the mask, took out his pachinko, equipping it with few exploding pellets and walked calmly towards the two fighters who stopped fighting briefly to see what he wanted.<p>

"I'm Sogeking, King of Snipers. And you two douchebags hurt my friend. I'm done sitting back and acting like a coward! I'll prove that I'm a true warrior of the seas! **Sanren Kayaku Boshi**!" shouted Usopp as he launched his pellets. The two warriors quickly jumped out of the way, letting them fly by. However Usopp only smiled under his mask.

"Do you think the King of Snipers is such a cheap shot to miss so easily?" he asked calmly and the two turned back in confusion as they heard the explosion behind them. The pellets had smashed straight into Mr. 4's face as he was finally getting back up. The burly man staggered back for awhile, before seemingly regaining his balance. He twirled around, throwing his heavy bat toward the remaining combatants before falling on his face and passing out from the accumulated damage.

As the two were about to dodge the bat, Usopp fired of his rotten eggs straight at Arrow's eyes, blinding him as he pawed at his face in disgust. The bat hit him straight on, knocking him down.

At the same time Usopp called out "**Makibishi Jigoku**!" as he threw dozens of caltrops on the ground followed by a smoke bomb.

Kebi coughed as he inhaled the smoke, moving to get out of it, only to step through the sharp caltrops and crying out in pain.

As he cleared the smoke field he was met with a hammer to the face, knocking him back on to the sharp contraptions.

He roared in pain as he jumped back up and rushed at Usopp, sword and club swinging. "Coward! Fight me like a man!"

"This is how I fight! That doesn't make me a coward!" yelled back Usopp who was at a farther distance now and yelling out "**Shuriken Ryusei-gun**!" as he launched a hail of shurikens at the rebel. Kebi expertly dodged or deflected them aside with his club and sword, only receiving minor cuts. Usopp fired off a flaming pellet right afterwards however, and caught him head on with it. Kebi roared in anger and he charged through the flames. However he stopped once he cleared them and sheathed his melee weapons, instead taking out the shotgun on his back.

"If that's how you want to fight, fine by me!" he yelled as he fired of a few rounds. Usopp quickly dropped the goggles on the top of his head down to his eyes and jumped into a roll while crying "**Rolling Kayaku Bosh**!" and shooting pellets at the incoming bullets, blowing them up in the air.

"Ha! You want to go up against the Sogeking with a ranged weapon? Fine, come meet your doom!" He cried as he landed on one knee and aimed a rubber band at the rebel. "Sogeking Rubber Band of Dooooom!" he yelled making Kebi flinch. When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was smoke as the sniper had disappeared.

"Dammit! At least that Tanuki fought like a man," he growled as he reloaded his gun, turning around trying to spot the self proclaimed king.

All of a sudden something flew into his mouth as he was cursing, and he felt it burning up with the spiciest sensation he'd ever felt. He roared and tried to keep it under control, but Usopp took advantage of the time to shoot him with more shurikens, weakening him as the slashed across his arms and legs.

"I'll kill you!" cried Kebi as he fought back the spice and rolled away from the flying shurkiens, only to get hit by a glass bottle. Unfortunately it was alcohol and not water and did nothing but intensify the spiciness. He tried to ignore it as he fired of more shots in the direction of his assailant and was rewarded by a cry of pain. His victory was short lived however as another pellet hit him and the alcohol burst into flames on him. He quicky rolled around in the sand to extinguish the flames. Before he could get back up however, he was assaulted by Sogeking as he stood over him, knocking him again and again with a metal hammer, until he finally fell unconscious.

"Pheewww," sighed Usopp. "I did it!"

"Pathetic brat! Ugh, how dare you fire such filth at a noble warrior of Alabasta?" asked Arrow as he struggled back up, ignoring the huge bump on his head from the bat.

"Whaaaat? You're still up? Dammit, Sogeking Rubber Band of Dooooom!" As Arrow flinched, Usopp pelted him with the rest of his ammo relentlessly until the tough warrior fell again.

"Damn that was close," he muttered as he fell down and took of his mask, looking at it. "Sogeking, huh?" he muttered before getting back up and going to check up on Chopper.

**West Gate Winners: Straw Hat Pirates**

* * *

><p><strong> AN: So, I really really suck with writers block. I wrote like 500 words then got writers block then took two weeks to write 200 more than again. Then I was stuck foreveeeeerr and just got past it today when I wrote the rest of it all at once. <strong>

**The reason for the block? I couldn't make the battle flow how I wanted and make Usopp and Chopper win as they were. **

**Anyway hope you guys like how this turned out. Don't forget to give some feedback in the reviews. **

**Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but look forward to it it'll be Sanji's fight next. I'm also writing a Harry Potter ff, and trying to alternate chapters, so that chapter should be out by this weekend and then I'll start on the next on for this. **

**Till next time! May you all be blessed with the best of this life and the next!**


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